Russian firm begins manufacturing equipment for Kudankulam NPP

A Russian company named Petrozavodsk Mash, AEM-Technologies, JSC Branch has commenced manufacturing guide vanes for Kudankulam NPP, power unit 5 in India. The guide vanes are manufactured for the reactor coolant pump sets (RCPS) housings which are for the power unit 5 - Kudankulam NPP, in India. JSC Branch is a part of the machine-building division of Atomenergomash, Rosatom State Corporation. As per a company note issued by Moscow, the very first guide vane is ready and has also passed the fitting-up as well as welding operations. For the remaining three guide vanes, the fit-up quality is inspected and the workers in Petrozavodsk Mash have commenced welding operations. Guide Vanes are RCPS internals having upper and lower disks along with 13 guide blades that are meant to be welded. These are mounted in the pump housing rigidly.They are meant to set the centrifugal direction of coolant flow in the pump. The company note states that the RCPS housing is the first safety class item. The reactor plant equipment of a single power unit comprises four RCP sets. Kudankulam NPP is a nuclear power plant equipped with the VVER-1000 reactors located in the southern part of India in the state of Tamil Nadu. The General Framework Agreement (GFA) was signed between India and Russia on April 10, 2014, related to the development of Units 3, 4, and negotiations about the construction of Kudankulam NPP Units 5, 6. Indian-Russian nuclear energy cooperation continues despite the Russia and Ukraine war. Image Source Also read: India's Russian coal imports in March may be highest in over 2 years