Australia and India signed an agreement on July 9 to enable uranium exports from Australia to India for peaceful nuclear energy purposes under the 2015 Australia–India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement [1, 2, 3]. The deal aims to support India's objective of increasing its non-fossil-fuel power capacity, targeting 100 gigawatts of nuclear energy by 2047 [2, 3].
The exports will be conducted under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards to ensure uranium use is restricted to peaceful purposes [2, 3]. Australia holds approximately 28% of the world's uranium reserves, making it a crucial supplier in this partnership [2].
The agreement concludes over a decade of delays following the 2014 civil nuclear deal, which previously limited uranium shipments due to proliferation concerns [1, 2, 3]. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "We have signed an important agreement today on nuclear energy. This will pave the way for uranium supplies from Australia to India and give our clean energy objectives fresh momentum" [2].
During his visit to Melbourne, Modi addressed an expected crowd of 30,000 members of the Indian diaspora [1]. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Modi's leadership, stating, "Prime Minister Modi, your leadership and your personal engagement with Australia has been absolutely central to this change" [1]. Albanese also said, "We look forward to becoming a reliable, trusted supplier of uranium to India" [3].
The two leaders agreed to deepen defense and security cooperation and enhance supply chains for critical minerals [2, 3]. They also announced plans to build a temporary space-tracking terminal on Australia's Cocos Keeling Islands to support Indian space projects [2].
India is Australia's fifth-largest trading partner, with two-way trade valued at AUD 54.4 billion (approximately USD 37.7 billion) in the 2024-2025 financial year [2, 3]. The relationship was elevated to a comprehensive strategic partnership in June 2020 [3].
The uranium export agreement and the accompanying cooperation commitments mark significant progress in bilateral ties between Australia and India established during the leaders' summit on July 9 in Melbourne [1, 2, 3].
