The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has issued permission for major equipment erection at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) Units 5 and 6. The permission, granted, allows the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to undertake installation of major equipment of the plant including Reactor Pressure Vessel, Steam Generators, Coolant Pumps etc.

The permission was issued after satisfactory completion of multi-tier safety review of design of the units against the safety requirements specified by AERB as well as assessment of the progress of civil construction activities so far under the earlier permission issued in April 2021 for ‘First Pour of Concrete’ (FPC). The KKNPP units incorporate many advanced safety features as per the requirements specified by AERB in its Safety Code on Design of Light Water Reactor-based NPPs.

Kudankulam project site, located in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, consists of six units of Pressurised Water Reactors of VVER design, being established in technical collaboration with Russia.