Russia Supplies Fuel to India’s Oldest Nuclear Power Plant

New Delhi: Russia extending support to India’s nuclear industry has not only supplied fuel for Kudankulam plant built by Rosatom but also supplied uranium to power India’s oldest nuclear power plant in Tarapur.

TVEL, fuel division of Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, has been supplying uranium fuel pellets for Tarapur on a regular basis in 2019. The total volume of the fuel pellets supplied to India for Tarapur in 2019 exceeded 50 tons. The pellets will be used for fabrication of nuclear fuel assemblies for the Tarapur Nuclear Power Plant.

Tarapur Plant in Palghar district, Maharashtra, is the first commercial nuclear power plant in India commissioned in 1969.

The fuel pellets made of low-enriched uranium dioxide were produced at Elemash (Machine-building plant), a fabrication facility of TVEL Fuel Company in Elektrostal, Moscow region. In India, the pellets will be used for fabrication of nuclear fuel assemblies for the Tarapur Nuclear Power Plant at the National Fuel Complex in Hyderabad.

“Rosatom fuel division is capable of producing nuclear fuel components for all basic types of operational nuclear reactors. TVEL has a long-timesuccessful track record of fuel pellets supplies to India for reactors of non-Russian design, such as BWR and PHWR, which is an evidence that our market offer is competitive and viable both technically and commercially. Should the Indian partners be interested, we are committed to accomplishment of similar contracts, as well as new projects in nuclear fuel cycle”, according to Oleg Grigoriyev, Senior Vice President for Commerce and International Business at TVEL.

In India, TVEL also provides shipments of fuel assemblies for the Russian-made VVER reactors at the two operating units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tami Ladu, under the long-term contract with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom provides nuclear fuel for 76 power reactors in 15 countries worldwide, research reactors in eight countries, as well as transport reactors of the Russian nuclear fleet. Every sixth power reactor in the world operates on fuel manufactured by TVEL.

Source: ET

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