India's Kudankulam NPP Has Minor Problems To Be Sorted Out Soon - Ambassador To Russia

India's Kudankulam NPP Has Minor Problems to Be Sorted Out Soon - Ambassador to Russia

There are some issues that the first two units of the Russian-built Kundakulam nuclear power plant (NPP) are facing, but they will be resolved in the coming few months, Indian Ambassador to Russia D. Bala Venkatesh Varma told Sputnik

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 04th December, 2018) There are some issues that the first two units of the Russian-built Kundakulam nuclear power plant (NPP) are facing, but they will be resolved in the coming few months, Indian Ambassador to Russia D. Bala Venkatesh Varma told Sputnik.

"There are some issues with regard to operation of Kundakulam-1 and Kundakulam-2, but we are happy that following [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin's visit to India many of these difficulties are being sorted out. And we are confident that in the coming few months what few difficulties remained [with regard to the] operation of Kundakulam-1 and Kundakulam-2 will be fully sorted out," the ambassador said.

Moscow is a trusted partner in the nuclear industry, the diplomat stressed.

"We see Russia as a very trusted partner in the nuclear field and we are very grateful that Russia extended support for us when India needed it in the nuclear field.

We would like Russia to be part of a growing nuclear industry in India," he said.

The Kudankulam NPP is a major joint Russian-Indian project, which has been under construction since 2013 in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The plant is being built by two organizations within Russia's Rosatom state nuclear corporation. The bilateral agreement on its construction was signed by Moscow and New Delhi in November 1988.

The NPP's first unit was connected to the national power grid in 2013 and eventually handed over to the Indian side for operation in April 2017. The second unit was connected in 2016. The third and the forth units are currently under construction and are planned to be built by 2023 and 2024, respectively.

In December 2014, Russia and India agreed to build at least 12 units for India's nuclear power plants, including at least four at Kudankulam NPP.