KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT: FROM VISION TO REALITY

This week India's largest nuclear power station suddenly grabbed headlines.

- TDG NETWORK

Peaceful protest against the Kudankulam Nuclear Plant (2012). Local communities and activists organized rallies expressing fears of nuclear accidents and environmental impact.

In a Dec. 5, 2025 summit in New Delhi, President Vladimir Putin hailed the Kudankulam plant as a “flagship project” of India-Russia cooperation. He noted that “two out of six reactor units have already been connected to the energy network, and four are still under construction”.Putin also vowed uninterrupted fuel deliveries, flagging India’s ongoing effort to complete what will be a 6,000 MW complex. Indeed, Russia's Rosatom has just shipped the first fuel assemblies for Unit 3 - the first of seven cargo flights under a 2024 contract to equip Units 3 and 4. (For context, the plant is planned with six VVER-1000 reactors - two of which went online in 2013 and 2016 - making it India’s largest nuclear station once finished.)

These announcements come amid a broader overhaul of India’s nuclear strategy. The Modi government has set an “ambitious goal” of scaling nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047 (up from about 8.8 GW today) and is fast-tracking a new Atomic Energy Bill to let private firms build and run reactors. This would be the first time India’s nuclear sector is opened to commercial companies. Budget 2025 even earmarked funds for advanced reactor research and small modular reactors, reflecting a drive to speed up projects and modernize the industry. In short, a once-closed sector is swinging open, to help meet India’s growing energy needs and climate goals.