Russia in talks with India for transfer of nuclear technologies in various fields

Moscow: Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom is in talks with India on transfer of nuclear technologies in other fields while the second 1,000 MW atomic power unit at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu is expected to be commissioned soon, said a senior official.

"Rosatom has nuclear technologies that are used in other fields. We have sterlisation technologies for medical equipments and irradiation technologies. Talks with India are on," KB Komarov, first deputy general director, development and international business, said here on Sunday.

He was speaking to the reporters here at the 7th ATOMEXPO 2015 held here.

According to him, the second 1,000 MW nuclear power unit at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) is to be commissioned soon.

Officials of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Rosatom told IANS that the dummy fuel in the second unit will be removed soon and the real uranium fuel assemblies is expected to be load in two months time.

The dummy fuel assemblies, made of lead instead of uranium are the exact replica of the actual nuclear fuel assemblies, both in dimension and weight.

The first pour of concrete for the 3rd and 4th 1,000 MW units at KNPP is expected to happen soon.

India's atomic power plant operator NPCIL is building two reactors with Russian equipments at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district, around 650 km from Chennai.

The first unit has started generating power while the commissioning of the second unit is expected to happen soon.

Over a period of time India is likely to buy equipments for 12 such units.

Queried about the local content in the 3rd and 4th units and also in others, Komarov said India is not a new comer for the nuclear energy sector and already lot of localisation is happening.

"We have number of proposals being discussed with India," he added.

Incidentally, Atomenergomash, a Russian engineering company is in talks with four Indian companies for a joint venture.

"Talks are on with four major Indian companies for setting up operations in India and nothing has been finalised," Andrey Nikipetov, general director, Atomenergomash told IANS.