New Delhi: India and Australia have finalised and signed the administrative arrangement that will enable long-term exports of Australian uranium to India for exclusively peaceful purposes under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, said a joint statement issued by India and Australia on Thursday.
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The arrangement operationalises the two countries' civil nuclear cooperation agreement signed in 2014 and clears the last procedural step toward actual uranium supply. Australia also reiterated its support for India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG). The summit, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, also produced a standalone Joint Statement on Energy Security and a series of energy-related understandings.
The Joint Statement on Energy Security recognised Australia as an important supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to India, and India as an important supplier of liquid fuels and other downstream products to Australia. "Australia and India commit to support the continued flow of energy products and further enhance the energy trade between our two countries," the statement said, adding that both sides would encourage investment opportunities across the energy value chain.
The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining stable, secure and reliable supplies of energy products including coal, diesel, other liquid fuels and natural gas, and said they would advance bilateral energy trade and investment through the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA), the ongoing work toward a Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), and other frameworks.
The cooperation was framed against the backdrop of West Asia. Both sides expressed concern over the situation in the Middle East and its consequences for energy, resources and commodity supply chains and prices. "Australia and India call on regional partners to join in ensuring global energy resource supply chains are kept open for the benefit of the security and prosperity of our peoples," the statement said.
The leaders reaffirmed cooperation in critical minerals, underscoring partnerships to promote investment, secure long-term supply and offtake arrangements, and build processing and value-addition capabilities. They described transparent, secure and resilient supply chains as central to economic security, particularly for energy and critical minerals.
Among the outcomes was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between GeoScience Australia and the Geological Survey of India (GSI) covering advanced exploration methodologies, capacity building and modernisation of GSI infrastructure, and an agreement to set up a mining-skilling centre of excellence at the National Skill Training Institute in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
On the clean energy side, the leaders noted progress under the India-Australia Renewable Energy Partnership, including the establishment and operationalisation of a Rooftop Solar Training Academy at Pandit Deendayal Energy University, Gandhinagar. The academy aims to train 2,000 women and youth as solar technicians, installers and helpers, in support of the PM Surya Ghar Yojana.
Both sides reaffirmed the role of renewable energy and the electrification of energy systems in strengthening long-term energy security, and welcomed Australia's role as COP31 President of Negotiations.
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The two countries reaffirmed their commitment to accelerating the energy transition and strengthening cooperation on low-carbon fuels, with Australia noting India's Global Biofuels Alliance (GBA) initiative. They also committed to strengthening energy supply-chain resilience through deeper regional cooperation and open trade in energy and liquid fuels, and acknowledged the specific energy-security vulnerabilities of Pacific Island Countries. Modi is on an official visit to Australia from July 8 to 10.