Kudankulam-1 is expected to be commissioned for the commercial operation in July this year. The second reactor should be started up next year. But this is not the end of nuclear cooperation between Russia and India. Now, both sides are preparing a new contract, the one for building Phase II of Kudankulam NPP. ROSATOM CEO Sergey Kirienko said the document signing dates depended on seismic assessment of the projected construction region. “Our Indian partners have submitted for a regulatory review the seismic assessment results for the third and fourth reactors, he said. “In principle, we are ready (as to the general contract – RC). The seismic decision is lacking only.” 

The general framework agreement on the construction of Kudankulam II was signed by India and Russia this April. The parties also agreed on the civil liability for nuclear damage as regards the third and fourth reactor construction.

The first reactor of the plant being built with the Russian involvement was to be started up in the end of 2011; however, demonstrators blocked the road to the site and didn’t allow completing the work at the facility. When the situation was settled the Tamil Nadu Government permitted to proceed with the construction. 

As regards the Ruppur plant construction, it is to remind that in November 2011 Russia and Bangladesh signed an intergovernmental agreement concerning the cooperation in building the nuclear power plant. The final contract of the pre-construction period implies building up the construction base and all works until the first concrete. The Russian party plans to start up Ruppur NPP at the turn of the 2020s as per the agreed schedule. Sergey Kirienko said that the pre-construction phase contract for the Bangladeshi plant was over US$ 300 million.