Overview
- Russian President Vladimir Putin said at the St. Petersburg forum that the Kudankulam plant "is now being constructed" and projected bilateral trade could rise toward about $100 billion as energy and investment ties expand.
- India’s Nuclear Power Corporation (NPCIL) said the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board granted permission for major equipment erection at Units 5 and 6, a step officials called a decisive milestone that allows large-scale on-site work to begin.
- The project already has two Russian-designed reactors feeding the grid while four more are under construction; when all six units are complete Kudankulam’s output is expected to be about 6,000 megawatts.
- External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Indian officials portray Russia as a primary partner for civil nuclear work as India aims to build up to 100 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2047.
- Beyond reactors, leaders say cooperation will widen into hydrocarbons and mutual investment, which could speed new projects, raise local employment and alter India’s long-term energy mix; observers should watch construction timetables and upcoming bilateral energy deals.