Russia begins manufacturing nuclear reactor for Kudankulam plant

Atommash-AEM-Technologies, a part of Rosatom, a Russian atomic energy corporation, has started manufacturing nuclear reactor and steam generators for unit six of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.

The nuclear reactor and steam generators have passed the inspection, and items are in the initial operations of the manufacturing.

The company will manufacture and supply two nuclear reactors with internals and an upper block of the VVER-1,000 type, two steam generators, reactor coolant pumps set bodies, main circulation piping, cooling system, passive core flooding systems, and two pressurises. The total weight of all the items will be 6,000 tonnes.

The nuclear reactor consists of a vertical cylindrical body with an elliptical bottom. The core and internals are inside the vessel.

The steam generator is a heat exchanger and part of a steam generating unit, weighing around 340 tonnes. One nuclear power plant consists of four steam generators.

Kudankulam plant's first power unit has been operating at 1,000 MW capacity since 2016. In 2016, the second unit was included in the national grid of the country. The agreement for the construction of the third and fourth units was signed with Rosatom in 2014. In 2017, the Indian Atomic Energy Corporation had signed an agreement to construct fifth and sixth units.

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Also read: Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant initiates construction of Unit 6