Russian nuclear power agency Rosatom has provided construction progress updates at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) Units 3, 4, 5 and 6 in India’s Tamil Nadu state.
The development details were provided during a working meeting held in Mumbai, India.
Rosatom director general Alexey Likhachev and India’s Department of Atomic Energy chair Ajit Kumar Mohanty discussed the development of cooperation between Russia and India in the nuclear energy sector.
During the meeting, it was revealed that pre-commissioning activities at Kudankulam NPP Unit 3 were in progress and preparations were being made for safety system testing on an open reactor.
Likhachev said: “Russia and India share a long-term and mutually beneficial partnership in the nuclear sphere. The Kudankulam project laid the foundation for our cooperation and opened the way for new joint initiatives and technology exchange.
"We have built an effective interaction system and a reliable supply chain, which now serve as the basis for further development of new projects - whether for large or small-scale power plants.
“Today, India has set itself an ambitious goal of increasing its nuclear generation capacity to 100GW, and Rosatom is ready to contribute by offering efficient technologies that have proven their reliability both in Russia and abroad.”
The total cost for all six units of the project is Rs1.11tn ($16.3bn).
Construction of the first phase began in 2001, and the initial two units were put into operation in 2013 and 2016, respectively, to supply electricity to India’s southern regions.
Construction, installation, and equipment delivery continue at Unit 4. Work is also ongoing for Units 5 and 6, which make up the third phase of the project, said Rosatom.
In September, Larsen & Toubro’s Heavy Civil Infrastructure business was awarded a contract involving Units 5 and 6.
According to Nuclear Power Corporation of India, several major tasks have been finished at Unit 3, including charging of the 230KV gas-insulated switchgear.
At Unit 4, meanwhile, work on the inner containment dome and installation of the nuclear steam supply system have been completed.
The Kudankulam plant will reportedly have a combined capacity of 6,000MW once all six units are commissioned.
