Key AERB approval issued for Kudankulam 5 and 6

The Major Equipment Erection permission was issued on 1 May to Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) "after satisfactory completion of multi-tier safety review of design of the units against safety requirements specified by AERB as well as assessment of the progress of the civil construction activities so far, under the earlier permission issued in April 2021 for 'first pour of concrete'", the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) said.

The Kudankulam site, near the southern tip of India, is already home to two operating Russian VVER-1000 pressurised water reactors 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 under a contract signed in 2024 which covers the fuel supply for units 3 and 4 for the entire operating life of the units.