Russia manufactures first fuel load for new unit at India’s flagship nuclear plant

Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom has completed the production of nuclear fuel for the initial loading of the fourth power unit at India's Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), according to Rosatom's fuel company, TVEL.

In a statement, TVEL said the fuel assemblies had successfully passed acceptance tests conducted with the participation of representatives from India's Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), the operator of the facility, Caliber.Az reports. 

The fuel for the VVER-1000 reactor was manufactured at Rosatom's Machine-Building Plant in the Russian city of Elektrostal. The company noted that the initial fuel load for Unit 3 was produced at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant and delivered to India in December 2025.

Located in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is one of India's largest nuclear energy projects. The facility is being developed in cooperation with Russia and is planned to include six VVER-1000 reactor units with a combined installed capacity of 6,000 megawatts.

The first two units entered commercial operation in 2013 and 2017, respectively, while construction of Units 3 and 4 is currently underway. Rosatom subsidiary Atomstroyexport serves as the project's general designer and equipment supplier.

According to Rosatom, the new reactors are being built in compliance with the latest safety standards established by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

By Sabina Mammadli