Mumbai: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has granted permission for the installation of major equipment at Units 5 and 6 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP). The approval was issued on April 30, 2026.
This clearance allows the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to proceed with the erection of critical plant components such as the reactor pressure vessel, steam generators, and coolant pumps.
The permission follows a comprehensive multi-level safety review of the plant design, ensuring compliance with AERB’s stringent safety standards. It also takes into account the progress of civil construction carried out under the earlier approval granted in April 2021 for the “First Pour of Concrete” stage.
Units 5 and 6 are being built with advanced safety features in line with AERB’s safety code for light water reactor-based nuclear power plants, which aligns with the latest international standards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Located in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district, the Kudankulam project comprises six pressurised water reactors (VVER type), developed in collaboration with Russia. Each unit has a capacity of 1000 MW. Units 1 and 2 have been operational since 2013 and 2015, respectively, while Units 3 and 4 are currently in advanced stages of construction and have already received similar equipment installation approvals.
