INDIA, RUSSIA INK PACTS FOR KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR PLANT EXPANSION

In Tamil Nadu, the largest nuclear power station in India, Kudankulam, is being constructed with Russian technical support

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In a major boost to their time-tested partnership, India and Russia on Tuesday signed some "very important" agreements related to the construction of the future power-generating units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, who is on a five-day visit to Russia, made the announcement after his "comprehensive and productive" meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on the bilateral economic cooperation during which they witnessed signing of agreements on nuclear power and in areas of medicines, pharmaceutical substances and medical devices.

"Today, in my presence and that of Deputy Prime Minister Manturov, we signed some very important agreements pertaining to the future units of the Kudankulam nuclear project," he said addressing the Indian diaspora here.

The Kudankulam nuclear power plant, India's largest, is being built in Tamil Nadu with the technical assistance of Russia. The construction began in March 2002. Since February 2016, the first power unit of the Kudankulam NPP has been steadily operating at its design capacity of 1,000 MW. The plant is expected to start operating at full capacity in 2027, according to Russian state media.

During the meeting, Mr.

Jaishankar noted the significant progress in trade, finance, connectivity, energy, civil aviation and nuclear domains.

"Appreciated the greater focus on exploring new opportunities. Discussed making our cooperation more balanced and sustainable in different dimensions," he said in a post on X.