A significant component for the fifth unit of the nuclear power plant at Kudankulam has been transported by Russian nuclear giant Rosatom. The thrust and supporting rings for the fifth power unit of the Kudankulam NPP, which is being built in India, were supplied from the Volgodonsk production facility of Atommash Branch, AEM-Technologies, JSC (a unit of Rosatom's Atomenergomash, which specialises in machine building). Machined rings with slots are used in the items, which are intended to lock the nuclear
reactor in its central location, shield it from above, and provide protection against seismic damage. One object weighs roughly 20 tonnes and has a diameter of more than 5 metres. Two objects were transported by motor vehicle at once for the first time. The equipment will first be supplied to the port of St. Petersburg before being transported to India via water.
The reactor is a component of the first safety class and is an elliptical-bottomed, vertically cylinder-shaped vessel. There is a core and internals in the reactor. The tank is hermetically sealed from top by a cover that has drives for mechanisms, control and protection units, and nozzles for cables of in-core monitoring sensors attached on it.
A nuclear power station with VVER-1000 generating units is located in Tamil Nadu, in the southern part of India. Six power units with VVER-1000 reactors with a total installed capacity of 6000 MW are being built as part of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. In 2013 and 2016, respectively, the initial stage of power units No. 1 and No. 2 was integrated into India's national power grid. Four additional power units—the second and third stages of Kudankulam NPP—are now being constructed.
