Construction begins for units 5 and 6 of Kudankulam nuclear power plant

The construction work for units 5 and 6 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district commenced on Tuesday.

The work was launched by pouring the first concrete into the foundation plate of the reactor building. Russia's Rosatom and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), a public sector undertaking of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), will jointly build the nuclear power reactors.

Already KNPP has four nuclear reactors with first two are running and the remaining two under construction. On completion, the KKNPP will be the highest nuclear power generation park in the country.

"The construction of Units 5 and 6 at Kudankulam commenced today with the placement of First Pour of Concrete (FPC). The First Pour of Concrete is an important milestone in a nuclear power project that is reckoned as the start date of the project," a statement from the NPCIL said.