Modi eyes ‘historic’ chance to secure Australian uranium

Indian PM Narendra Modi and Australian PM Anthony Albanese arrive at the Australia-India Economic Roadmap summit in Melbourne. (EPA Images pic)

MELBOURNE: Australia has a “historic” chance to supply the uranium that could power India’s nuclear energy transformation, prime minister Narendra Modi said Thursday ahead of high-level talks.

Faced with an almost-insatiable appetite for electricity in the world’s most populous nation, Modi has outlined plans to substantially scale-up nuclear power generation in coming years.

Australia lays claim to around 28% of the world’s uranium resource, but legal hurdles and political sensitivities have hindered exports to India.

“Australia’s huge uranium reserves are directly connected to India’s nuclear journey,” Modi told a business forum in Melbourne ahead of a summit with his counterpart Anthony Albanese.

“This is a historic opportunity for us to increase our cooperation in this area.”

Albanese sported a wide grin as the two leaders briefly paused at the event to take a selfie photo.

The Australian prime minister has previously referred to Modi as “The Boss”, joking that he could pull bigger crowds than US rock icon Bruce Springsteen.

Albanese praised Modi’s leadership on Thursday for helping foster stronger ties between the two nations.

“Prime Minister Modi, your leadership and your personal engagement with Australia has been absolutely central to this change,” Albanese said.

Australia’s Indian diaspora has grown substantially in recent years, giving Modi a sizeable fanbase in the country.

For the first time on record, the biggest group of Australian residents born overseas came from India, statistics for last year showed in June.

‘Huge demographic change’

“In 2014, the Indian diaspora community in Australia was relatively small,” said Teesta Prakash from the Australia India Institute.

“But in 2026, it is now the largest diaspora community within Australia. It has outstripped the British, which is a huge demographic change,” she told AFP.

Modi is set to receive a rock-star welcome when he fronts a community rally at a stadium in Melbourne later on Thursday, with organisers anticipating more than 20,000 people could flock to the event.

But Modi’s visit is also expected to stir up opposition, including criticism that he has fostered a dangerous brand of Hindu nationalism at home.

Australia’s Alliance Against Islamophobia said it would protest outside the stadium event, drawing attention to what it said was the persecution of minority groups in India.

A separate protest against Indian migration to Australia is also planned.

Modi is scheduled to fly to New Zealand after Australia.