Nuclear reactor for 6th unit of TN plant shipped from Russia

In a significant development for nuclear power generation in India, the nuclear reactor for the sixth unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu has been shipped from Russia.

A Russian news agency, on Friday, put out a video of the reactor being shipped to India. The reactor — made by Rosatom, the Russian state-owned nuclear energy corporation — is on board a specialised ship and is destined to reach the shores of Tamil Nadu.

Two units at Kundankulum are already operational and four more are under construction. The reactor that is being shipped is for the sixth and last unit of the KNPP.

Each unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant generates 1,000 MW (Megawatts) of electricity.

The construction of upcoming units of the KNPP was delayed due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict as the conflict caused logistical and ocean freight problems for importing components and equipment from Ukraine and Russia.

The two units of KNPP, are a significant contributor to India’s energy production. Notably, nuclear power currently makes up for about three percent of India’ s power generation capacity. The present installed nuclear power capacity in the country — comprising 23 nuclear power reactors — is about 7,480 MW.

The government has set a target of having a nuclear power generation capacity of 22,480 MW by 2031.

The KNPP employs VVER-1000 reactors, a type of pressurised water reactor (PWR) developed by Russia. These reactors utilize enriched uranium fuel to generate heat, which is then used to produce steam. The steam drives turbines connected to generators, ultimately producing electricity.

India has long been associated with Russia civil nuclear programme. Earlier this week, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, on a visit to India said the US would remove several Indian atomic energy companies from the ‘entity list’, allowing for closer cooperation in the civil-nuclear sector. US The had imposed sanctions 26 years after the nuclear tests at Pokhran in May 1998.