Indian and Russian officials yesterday signed a $500 million contract to provide equipment and materials for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant under construction in southern India (see GSN, Jan. 7).

“This is the biggest-ever deal signed by [the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited] with any country,” said NPCIL chairman V.K. Chaturvedi in Moscow.

The contract “provides for the supply of two most advanced VVER-1000 reactors with 2,000 megawatts total capacity and other equipment with long production cycle like steam turbines and generators,” Chaturvedi said.

Indian agencies will commission and build the equipment with Russian technical assistance, Chaturvedi said (Press Trust of India, Feb. 12).  He added that India and Russia are expected to sign a contract next month on sustained shipments of Russian nuclear fuel to the Kudankulam plants.

In November of last year, India and Russia signed a memorandum to begin cooperation on the Kudankulam project, according to the Press Trust of India (see GSN, Nov. 8, 2001).  Russia is expected to provide more than $1.5 billion in assistance and equipment for the two Indian nuclear power plants.  India has also placed orders totaling more than $220 million with Ukraine and other Commonwealth of Independent States countries (Press Trust of India/BBC Worldwide Monitoring, Feb. 13).

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