Russia’s Atommash Volgodonsk, a branch of AEM Technologies (part of state nuclear corporation Rosatom’s engineering division - Atomenergomash) said on 3 October that it had shipped the second of four steam generators to the Kudankulam nuclear plant in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
The shipment will involve several types of special transport. From the plant to the specialised pier at Tsimlyansk reservoir, the steam generator will be delivered by truck. Using a bridge crane with a lifting capacity of 650 tons, it will then be transferred to a barge and transported by river to St Petersburg. From there, it will go to India by sea through the Baltic and Mediterranean seas, Suez Canal, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. The total length of the route will be 21,000 kilometres. The weight of the equipment is 340 tons.
Kudankulam is being constructed under a 1988 Russian-Indian agreement which was amended in 1998. The general contractor (in terms of detailed design, equipment supply and technical assistance) is Atomstroyexport, the general designer is Atomenergoproekt. Kudankulam is one of the largest nuclear power projects in India and is scheduled to have six Russian VVER-1000 reactors Units 1 and 2 are in operation, units 3 and 4 are under construction and units 5 and 6 planned with preparatory works in progress. In September, Russia’s (part of the OMZ Group) shipped the reactor vessel for Kudankulam 4.