New Delhi: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has approved “major equipment installation” at units 5 and 6 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), a crucial step in boosting the country’s nuclear energy programme.The license granted on April 30 enables the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) to install critical reactor components such as reactor pressure vessels, steam generators and coolant pumps, marking a major shift from civil construction to core power plant development.“Kudankulam has achieved a milestone. India’s nuclear energy program has achieved another decisive milestone,” NPCIL said onThe Ministry of Atomic Energy said, “The permission was issued following the satisfactory completion of a multi-layered safety review of the design of the installation and assessment of the progress of the civil construction activities so far, in line with the ‘First Pour of Concrete’ (FPC) permission issued in April 2021, in compliance with the safety requirements prescribed by the AERB.”There are six VVER-designed pressurized water reactor units at the Kudankulam project site, which were established in technical cooperation with the Russian Federation. The first two units (KKNPP Units 1 and 2) have been in operation since 2013. The third and fourth units are in advanced stages of development for which AERB had earlier issued a major equipment installation permit.
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