Kudankulam unit projects to be delayed due to war: Govt

The construction of upcoming units of the Kudankulam nuclear power project is likely to be delayed due to the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, the government told Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

“The components and equipment to be imported from Ukraine and Russia may be delayed due to the logistical and ocean freight problems arising out of the conflict,” Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to a question by Rajya Sabha member Abir Ranjan Biswas.

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) is being undertaken in cooperation with Russia, which is supplying 1,000 MW VVER type nuclear reactors. Two units of 1,000 MW each are already operational, while units 3&4 and 5&6 are currently under construction.

“KKNPP 3&4 and KKNPP 5&6 have achieved an overall physical progress of 58.22 per cent and 8.12 per cent respectively as of February 2022,” Singh said.

Russian state-owned Rosatom is developing the nuclear power project at Kudankulam. KKNPP-1 started operations in 2013, while Unit 2 started power generation in 2016.

“The project completion schedule is likely to be impacted. The exact extent and nature of the impact is difficult to assess as the situation is still evolving,” the minister said.

Singh said Rosatom was not an entity under sanctions at present.