India has taken over full operational control of Unit 1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP).
On Wednesday, India signed a joint statement with Russia on the final takeover of the unit, formally marking the full transition.
The agreement was signed between representatives of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. and the ASE Group of Companies, a subsidiary of ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation of Russia.
With the deal, the Russian and the Indian sides have confirmed fulfilment of all warranty terms and obligations of the contractor (ASE Group of Companies) for the construction of Unit 1, Rosatom said in a statement on Thursday.
“The warranty period run showed reliable and safe operation of Unit 1. Thus, the Indian side confirms that ASE Group of Companies, which is a general contractor, has fulfilled all its tasks in full and accurately,” said Andrei Lebedev, vice-president of ASE for projects in South Asia.
The commercial operation and the warranty period of Unit 1 started in December 2014. The warranty is typically for one year, which ended in December 2015.
However, the final takeover agreement was delayed to ensure the reliability of the plant and equipment as this is the first of a series of six reactors.
Technical issues
Unit 1 had encountered technical issues and was shut down briefly after it commenced power generation.
On March 30, 2017, the joint protocol on provisional acceptance of Unit 2 of the plant was signed, which marked the start of its commercial operation.
