Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On December 20, 2021, the main construction period of the Kudankulam NPP Unit 6 (in the Republic of India) was officially launched through the first concreting in the foundation slab of the reactor building.

“The first two NPP power units are demonstrating the sustainable operation at the nominal power level. The power units of the second stage are being constructed, namely the works are underway at Unit 3 to prepare for installation of the reactor pressure vessel. 

 In June of this year, the first concrete was laid at the power unit No. 5, and on December 20, the first concreting was launched at the power unit No. 6. The third stage of the Kudankulam NPP relating to the main construction period will provide additional power capacity to ensure the industrial and commercial development of businesses in the Tamil Nadu region and the Republic of India as a whole; moreover, it will promote more confidence in our friendly countries’ prospects to expand peaceful nuclear cooperation by using the most advanced projects of high-capacity nuclear power units of the Russian design ”, Andrey Lebedev, ASE JSC Vice-President for Projects in India and Prospective Projects pointed out. 

The equipment required for the top-priority installation at Units 5&6 is being supplied now and the construction process is being supported by the working documentation.

After the General Framework Agreement (GFA) for power units 3&4 construction was signed on April 10, 2014, negotiations were started with the Indian Party on the construction of Kudankulam NPP Units 5 and 6, following which an agreement was reached for these units to be built in the same design as the units of the second stage. On June 1, 2017, the Credit Protocol to the Intergovernmental Agreement of December 5, 2008 and the GFA for Kudankulam NPP Units 5&6 were signed as a single batch of documents.

Power units No. 3,4 and 5,6 are the second and the third stages of Kudankulam NPP constructed under AES-92 design with VVER-1000 (V-412) reactor type. The technical solutions implemented in Kudankulam design characterize further evolutionary development of VVER-reactor NPPs of high power and transition to creation of a new, reliable, safe and feasible power unit.

New power units of Kudankulam NPP comply with the most up-to-date safety requirements of IAEA.

The developer - the technical customer of the facility - is Nuclear Power Corporation of India. The general designer and supplier of equipment is JSC ASE.

Currently, power units No. 1, 2 of Kudandulam NPP are operating at the capacity established by the operation schedule.