New Delhi [India], June 16 (ANI): Russian Embassy in India said the successful installation of the reactor pressure vessel for Unit 5 at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) marks another significant milestone in the long-standing civil nuclear cooperation between India and Russia.
In a post shared on Instagram, the embassy stated that the reactor pressure vessel had been installed in its design position on June 15 with the participation of the Engineering Division of Rosatom State Corporation, the project’s general designer and contractor.
The embassy noted that the installation was carried out using the Open Top method, under which heavy equipment is lifted into the reactor building using a high-capacity crane before the dome is erected.
It added that the method had previously been employed successfully during the construction of the second phase of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.
According to the post, the reactor vessel was manufactured at the Atommash plant of Rosatom’s Machine-Building Division in Volgodonsk, in Russia’s Rostov Region. The vessel delivered to the Kudankulam project in 2025 weighs approximately 300 tonnes.
The embassy further stated that following the installation of the reactor vessel, work would commence on assembling the main reactor plant equipment, including steam generators, main circulation pumps, main coolant pipeline modules, the pressurizer and emergency core cooling system tanks.
“On June 15, at the construction site of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in India, the reactor pressure vessel for Unit 5 was installed in its design position, with the participation of the Engineering Division of the Rosatom State Corporation, the project’s general designer and contractor. The operation was carried out using the Open Top method, in which heavy equipment is lifted into the reactor building by a high-capacity crane before the dome is erected. This method has already been successfully implemented by the Russian-Indian team during the construction of the 2nd phase of the Kudankulam NPP,” the Instagram post said.
“The reactor vessel was manufactured at the Atommash plant of Rosatom’s Machine-Building Division in Volgodonsk, Rostov Region. The total weight of the reactor vessel delivered to the Kudankulam NPP in 2025 is about 300 tonnes. Following the installation of the reactor vessel, work will begin on the assembly of the main reactor plant equipment, including steam generators, main circulation pumps, main coolant pipeline modules, the pressurizer, and emergency core cooling system tanks,” the post added.
Reacting to the progress of the project, Mikhail Novikov, Director for Projects in India at JSC Atomstroyexport, highlighted the strength of Indo-Russian cooperation in the nuclear energy sector.
“The key to the success of the Kudankulam NPP project is the long-standing and fruitful cooperation between Russia and India. Indian specialists are currently constructing four power units based on the Russian design, while two other units have been generating electricity for more than ten years. All of this reflects strong teamwork aimed at strengthening the partnership between our two countries,” Novikov said as per Russian Embassy in India’s Instagram post. (ANI)
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