Russia waiting for Indian decision to allocate second site for Russian-designed nuclear plant - Manturov

NEW DELHI. April 18 (Interfax) - Russia is waiting for the Indian government to make a decision on the allocation of a second site for serial construction of a Russian-designed nuclear power plant in addition to the Kudankulam NPP, Deputy Prime Minister and Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said.

"We, for our part, are prepared for serious expansion of cooperation with the Indian side in all promising avenues in the area of the peaceful use of nuclear energy," Manturov said.

The Kudankulam NPP is being built in India under a bilateral agreement signed on November 20, 1988 and additions to it dated June 21, 1998. Russia has completed the first two units at the plant.

"Generating units 1 and 2 have already produced 77 billion kWh of electricity. We supply nuclear fuel on a regular basis for the two operating generating units of the Kudankulam NPP with VVER-1000 reactors. In June 2022, Russia supplied a new type of fuel for these units to India for the first time. Construction of units 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Kudankulam NPP is progressing well," Manturov said.

He recalled that half of the nuclear generating units now being built in India are Russian-designed. "The projects are being implemented on the terms of technical assistance, meaning the Russian side designs the plant, supplies the main equipment, carries out supervised installation and trains personnel," Manturov said.