Contract for KKNPP’s units 5,6 to be inked by July

After the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) cleared the First Pour of Concrete (FPC) to units 3 and 4 the of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), Sergey Orlov, Representative in India of ASE Group of companies, an engineering division of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, said important contracts will be signed this month end for the proposed fifth and sixth 1,000 MW units.

The ASE will sign contracts with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) by July end. “This will include long manufacturing cycle equipment, contract for drawings and first priority design. This is because some of the equipment manufacturing will take a lot of time,” said Orlov, adding that signing of six reactors all at once could save time and money. He added that they hope to start a unit every year and that from 2023 to 2026, there will be a commissioning every year, for units 3, 4, 5 and 6. 

India and Russia have an agreement for six 1,000-MW nuclear reactors. Two of these units are operational at Koodankulam, while construction work is under way for units 3 and 4. Orlov also added that India is expected to inform Russia about its choice for a second nuclear power plant site, where there are plans to have new reactors of 1200 MW.