Fuel manufactured for Kudankulam 4's initial loading

Under the contract agreed in 2024 with the Russian state nuclear corporation, TVEL will supply fuel for the lifetime of the VVER-1000 units, which comprise units 3 and 4 at the plant.

The Kudankulam site, near the southern tip of India, is already home to two Russian VVER-1000 pressurised water reactors - owned and operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd - which have been in commercial operation since 2014 (Kudankulam unit 1) and 2017 (unit 2). Four more are currently under construction in two phases: construction of units 3 and 4 began in 2017, with the work on units 5 and 6 beginning in 2021. Two further units - Kudankulam 7 and 8, larger AES-2006 units with VVER-1200 reactors - have been proposed as a fourth phase of the plant.

The first nuclear fuel was delivered for unit 3 in December. It was manufactured at Rosatom's Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant.

Rosatom says that during operation of the first two units, its specialists, together with Indian specialists "have significantly improved their efficiency through the introduction of advanced nuclear fuel and extended fuel cycles. Since 2022, the Kudankulam NPP has been supplied with advanced TVS-2M nuclear fuel. It ensures more reliable and cost-effective operation of the power units due to its rigid structure, a next-generation anti-debris filter, and a higher uranium mass".

It has also led to the time between refuelling shutdowns being extended from 12 months to 18 months. Units 3 and 4 will operate with 18-month fuel cycles from the start.

According to World Nuclear Association information, India currently has 24 operable nuclear reactors totalling 7,943 MW of capacity, with eight reactors - 4,768 MW - under construction. A further 10 units - some 7 GW of capacity - are in pre-project stages.

India has a target to expand its nuclear energy capacity to 100 GW by 2047. It plans to achieve this by a two-pronged approach, with the deployment of large-capacity reactors as well as small modular reactors (SMRs). In August last year Minister of State Jitendra Singh outlined to the country's Parliament the three types of SMR that are being designed and developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for demonstration: the 200 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (sometimes referred to as BSMR-200); a 55 MWe small modular reactor (SMR); and a 5 MWt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor for hydrogen production by coupling with suitable thermochemical process for hydrogen production.