India-Russia Signed Kudankulam Plant Agreement for Future Power Supply

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 28-12-2023

India-Russia Signed Kudankulam Plant Agreement for Future Power Supply

Agreements and MoU 5 min read

India and Russia signed agreements related to the construction of future power generation units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu on 26 December 2023. Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar is on a five-day (25 to 29 December 2023) visit to Russia.

Foreign Minister Jaishankar's visit to Russia:

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar has announced the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant agreement after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov on bilateral economic cooperation.
In the presence of both leaders, agreements regarding nuclear energy, medicine and medical equipment were signed.
Jaishankar accompanied Manturov during the visit to the Russian Industry and Trade Exhibition.

Multilateral and International discussed issues:

Both sides have agreed that the teams will meet by the end of January to begin talks on a free trade agreement between India and the Eurasian Economic Zone.
The payment problem between Russia and India has been an important issue for which they are trying to find a solution.
Jaishankar will meet his counterpart Sergei Lavrov on 27 December 2023 to discuss bilateral, multilateral and international issues.

About India-Russia Relations:

India-Russia relations are extraordinary. Despite fluctuations in global relations over the past 70-80 years, the stability of India-Russia ties stands out. In 2000, the “India-Russia Strategic Partnership Declaration” was a pivotal moment, cementing this enduring relationship.
Since then, relations between the two have seen new forms of cooperation in areas of political, security, defence, trade and economy, science and technology, etc.
In the Cold War era, India and the Soviet Union shared a robust strategic, military, economic, and diplomatic alliance. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Russia inherited its close relations with India.
However, relations have deteriorated significantly in the last few years, especially in the post-Covid scenario. The main reason for this is Russia's close relations with China and Pakistan.

About Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP):

KNPP is being built in Tamil Nadu with technical assistance from Russia.
Its construction started in March 2002. The initial power unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has been consistently operational since February 2016, generating 1,000 MW of capacity.
KNPP will be India's largest nuclear power station. It is located 650 km south of Chennai in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.
KNPP is being developed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL).
Phase one of the project involved the construction of two 1,000-megawatt (MW) pressurised water reactor (PWR) units (2013 and 2016) based on Russian technology.
An additional four units are under construction in phases II and III of the project.
Construction of units three and four began in 2017, with the goal of being operational by 2023.
NPCIL and ASE group companies signed the General Framework Agreement for the construction of the fifth and sixth units in June 2017. Construction for the final two units began in 2021.
Once the six units of KNPP are commissioned, the total capacity of the power plant will be 6,000MW.

All units of KNPP will be completed in 2027:

According to Russian state media, the plant is expected to begin operating at full capacity in 2027. Jaishankar described Russia as a 'special partner' in some sectors like defence, nuclear energy and space.