During the two-day visit, the delegation inspected the power units being constructed as the second and third stages of the Kudankulam NPP and discussed the long-term cooperation agenda. As a result of the negotiations, a significant document was signed under the joint Russian-Indian project, namely a protocol to the intergovernmental agreement on the construction of power units of the second and third stages of the Kudankulam NPP as of 2008.
“India is our strategic partner. The Russian-Indian nuclear cooperation lies deep in the first intergovernmental documents on the Indian NPP of Russian design that were signed back in the eighties of the last century. The end of last year was marked by a wonderful joint 10-year anniversary of the Kudankulam NPP power unit No.1 being connected to the power grid of the Republic of India. Our work continues as part of joint projects in various areas of the nuclear energy use and we are optimistic about the further development of our cooperation,” noted Alexey Likhachev.
Kudankulam NPP is India’s largest nuclear power plant and the flagship project of Russian-Indian technological and energy cooperation. The NPP is located in the south of India, in Tamil Nadu State. The NPP’s customer and operator is the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL), its general contractor being Atomstroyexport JSC, its general designer being Atomenergoproekt JSC, its chief designer being OKB Gidropress.
The Kudankulam NPP construction involves the installation of six power units with VVER-1000 type reactors of 6000 MW gross installed capacity. Power units No. 1&2 are connected to the national grid of India in 2013 and 2016 and operate above nominal capacity. Currently, the construction and erection work is underway; the supply of equipment is being completed at Units Nos. 3 and 4; construction of two power units of the third stage is also underway.
In addition to the construction of nuclear power units, Rosatom arranges for the supply of reliable and efficient nuclear fuel for VVER-1000 to India, while increasing the operating efficiency of these reactors through the introduction of extended fuel cycles.
The technical solutions implemented in Kudankulam design feature further evolutionary development of NPPs with VVER-reactor and transition to a new, safe, reliable and feasible power unit. The Kudankulam NPP has been the first to use a designed unified system for cooling the 4 units condensers by hydraulic structures fed by one large-scale artificial water area.
The reactor plant equipment was installed in Units Nos. 3 and 4 for the first time from a fully developed and equipped site using the Open Top technology.
New power units of Kudankulam NPP comply with the most up-to-date safety requirements of IAEA.
Rosatom State Corporation Engineering Division unites the leading companies of the nuclear industry, namely: Atomstroyexport JSC (Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, branches in Russia and abroad), Joint Design Institute – Atomenergoproekt JSC (Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg branches – design institutes, branches in Russia and abroad, R&D branches) and subsidiary construction organizations.
The Engineering Division ranks first in the world by the order portfolio and the number of NPPs constructed simultaneously across the world.
About 80% of the Division’s revenues originate from foreign projects.
The Engineering Division implements construction projects for high-power NPPs in Russia and across the world, renders a full range of EPC, EP, EPC(M) services including project management and design activities, and develops Multi-D technologies for the management of complex engineering facilities. The Division relies on the achievements of the Russian nuclear industry and innovative state-of-the-art technologies.
We construct reliable and safe NPPs with III+ Gen VVER reactors that are in line with all international requirements and recommendations. https://ase-ec.ru/en/