Unit 3 of the Kakrapar nuclear power plant in India's Gujarat state is expected to enter commercial operation by December 2022, atomic energy minister Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to a question in the Indian Parliament's lower house, the Lok Sabha. The reactor is the country's first indigenously-designed 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor.

The installation of equipment using the "open top" technique - carried out while the dome is open - can save between five and seven months, according to officials involved in the Russian-designed Kudankulam 3 nuclear unit's construction in India.

GE Steam Power has signed a UDS165 million contract with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd to supply three nuclear steam turbines for India's domestic nuclear power programme.

India's nuclear regulator shows a strong commitment and professionalism to ensuring nuclear and radiation safety in the country, an International Atomic Energy Agency mission has concluded.

The French company EDF last year submitted to Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd its binding techno-commercial offer to build six EPRs at Jaitapur in Maharashtra state and the project was among the bilateral issues backed during talks between President Emmanuel Macron and President Narendra Modi.

India has imported just over 7600 tonnes of uranium in the past three years, mostly from Kazakhstan and Canada, according to official figures released by the government. Minister of State Jitendra Singh provided the data, as well as figures for domestic uranium production, and updates on nuclear construction projects, in written answers to questions in the Indian government's upper house, the Rajya Sabha.

India is preparing to start building reactors in "fleet" mode from next year, beginning with the first concrete for two 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors at Kaiga in Karnataka, Department of Atomic Energy officials have told a parliamentary panel.

Two Indian engineering companies - Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and Larsen & Toubro - have held "flagging off" ceremonies for steam generators destined for installation at Indian-designed 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors.
 

India's fast breeder test reactor has reached its full 40 MWt design power level for the first time, more than 35 years since it first started operating. The test reactor, which has an underpinning role in India's preparation for a thorium-based closed fuel cycle, had previously been limited to 32 MWt.

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd has placed an order with Holtec International subsidiary Holtec Asia to supply HI-STAR transport casks to serve away-from-reactor storage for Kudankulam units 1 and 2. NPCIL has also issued a call for tenders for the construction of a used fuel storage facility for Kudankulam units 3 and 4.

Main components for India's Kudankulam unit 6 are being manufactured in Russia. Construction of the VVER-1000 reactor officially began one month ago.

First concrete has been poured for the latest reactor at India's Kudankulam nuclear power plant. Work is now underway there on two pairs of Russian export reactors.