Russian state atomic energy corporation ROSATOM has shipped a VVER-1000 reactor vessel for Unit 6 of the Russian-designed Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, currently under construction in India.
According to the production schedule, ROSATOM plans to ship a set of four steam generators for the same Unit 6 in 2025.
The reactor vessel is a main component of a nuclear power plant, containing the reactor core, coolant, neutron reflector, thermal shielding, control rods, and other internal structures.
“Despite our strong position in the nuclear world, we remain committed to continuous development. We are actively improving equipment design to guarantee the highest level of safety and enhancing the economic efficiency of our products. At present, we are working on a new NPP reactor unit with increased capacity and advanced operational characteristics. This new unit will also feature improved technical and economic performance,” noted Valery Kryzhanovsky, General Designer of Rosatom subsidiary experimental design bureau OKB GIDROPRESS JSC.
The Kudankulam NPP is India’s largest nuclear power plant and a flagship project of India-Russia collaboration in the field of technology and energy, consisting of six power units. Units 1 and 2 were connected to the Indian national grid in 2013 and 2016, respectively, and now provide energy to southern India.
Currently, the construction and installation of units 3 and 4 are nearing completion, and the construction of two power units (Units 5 and 6) within the third stage has commenced. Once all six units are operational, the Kudankulam NPP will meet 50% of Tamil Nadu’s electricity needs (a state with a population of 72 million) and a third of the needs of neighboring states Karnataka, Kerala, and the union territory of Puducherry (combined population of about 100 million).
During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Russia in July 2024, Rosatom proposed several new projects, including the construction of six more units and small modular reactors (SMRs). Small modular reactors are seen as a suitable solution for countries with limited power grids, including those on the African continent. Rosatom is presenting innovative solutions in this area, such as floating power units, which, together with land-based SMRs, could provide a cost-effective, easily scalable, and rapidly deployable option to meet Africa’s growing energy needs.
In November 2024, Rosatom made progress in constructing its other flagship project in Africa – the first NPP in Egypt, El-Dabaa – by starting the installation of the core catcher of Unit 4. The core catcher is part of the passive safety system, designed to prevent the release of radioactive substances into the environment in the event of a severe accident accompanied by destruction of the reactor vessel. El-Dabaa will consist of four power units, 1200 MW each, with pressurized water reactors of Russian class VVER-1200.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
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