French utility EDF said it had signed a preliminary deal with Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) for the construction of six EPR nuclear reactors at Jaitapur, in the west of India.

Each of the reactors to be deployed at the site will have 1650MW of energy output, which will lend the Jaitapur project a 10GW clean power generation capacity.

The project has been long-delayed, and is now being taken over by EDF from French state-controlled group Areva. Preliminary technical studies are currently being carried out at the site as a part of Areva’s pre-engineering studies contract with NPCIL that was signed last year.

EDF will be continuing Areva’s work in co-ordination with NPCIL at the site for securing certification from the Indian safety authorities for the new reactors.

The firm will also evaluate the economic and financial conditions and the technical specifications of the project under supervision of the country’s nuclear regulator Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

According to French President François Hollande, cited by Reuters, the agreement for construction of the six reactors is likely to be finalised within a year. Construction works for the project have been scheduled for early 2017.