Russia Ships Reactor Vessel To India’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant

Rosatom, Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, has shipped a VVER-1000 reactor vessel for Unit 6 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Tamil Nadu, India.

The massive equipment, weighing 320 tonnes, is an essential component of the Russian-designed NPP, the largest nuclear power plant in India.

The reactor vessel began its journey from the Atommash manufacturing plant, a division of Rosatom’s Mechanical Engineering sector.

Transported by specialised motorised vehicles, it was first delivered to the plant dock and then loaded onto a river vessel, which carried it to the seaport of Novorossiysk.

From there, the reactor vessel was loaded into the shiphold for its six-thousand-mile journey to India.

Valery Kryzhanovsky, General Designer at OKB GIDROPRESS JSC, said that while Rosatom has a strong position in the nuclear industry, it is constantly working to improve its equipment designs.

He said that the new-generation reactors would feature improved safety measures and better technical and economic performance.

The Kudankulam NPP is a flagship project of the India-Russia collaboration in nuclear technology. The plant will house six power units, each equipped with a VVER-1000 reactor, providing a combined installed capacity of 6,000 megawatts.

Units 1 and 2 are already operational, having been connected to India’s power grid in 2013 and 2016, respectively. Construction of Units 3 and 4 is about to be completed, while Units 5 and 6 are in the early stages of construction.

The VVER-1000 reactor vessel, produced over two years at the Atommash plant, underwent 289 quality control checks to meet strict international standards.

Representatives from Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), the foreign customer, have been stationed in Volgograd since 2016 to oversee the production.

Rosatom’s Engineering Division is responsible for designing and constructing the Kudankulam NPP and supplying the necessary equipment.

The division holds the largest order backlog in the global nuclear industry, with ongoing projects, in countries like Bangladesh, China and Turkey.

Apart from the reactor vessel shipment, a set of four steam generators for Unit 6 is also set to be delivered in 2025.

The Kudankulam NPP’s success reflects the reliability of VVER reactors, which have accumulated over 2,000 reactor years of operational experience worldwide.

These reactors are also being considered for new projects in regions like the Russian Far East. Rosatom will also supply nuclear fuel for the Kudankulam NPP throughout its operational lifespan.

Reference: Rosatom

Source: Maritime Shipping News