Russia to build four more nuclear reactors at Kundankulam

29 September 2008

Mumbai: Russia will construct four additional nuclear reactors at Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu with the signing of a formal Indo-Russian atomic agreement during President Dmitry Medvedev's maiden visit to India in December.

''We are planning to build with Russian help four more nuclear reactors with a capacity of 1,000 MW each in Kudankulam,'' Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar told NTV channel.

With the Nuclear Suppliers' Group approving an Indo-US agreement on civil nuclear trade, India and Russia hope to launch the construction of these reactors by early next year.

India and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding for the construction of four additional units of Kudankulam, in February this year, in the presence of the then Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov, who was on a visit to India.

Russian experts have almost completed design of two VVER-1000 light water reactors with a total capacity of 2000 MW, Russian Nuclear Corporation RosAtom sources said.

Russian, American and French companies have emerged major bidders for nuclear power reactors as India plans to boost nuclear power generation by 10,000 MW.