The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) is a major nuclear power generation complex, an institution located in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu, and is the largest nuclear power station in India. The project's origin is an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) signed on November 20, 1988, between India and the Soviet Union, which was later revived and supplemented in June 1998 with the Russian Federation. The project was created to boost domestic electricity production, strengthen energy security, and diversify India's energy sources by deploying large-capacity reactors, a shift from India's indigenous three-stage program.
The mechanism of KKNPP involves the use of Russian-designed VVER-1000/V-412 reactors, which are Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs), each with a gross electrical capacity of 1,000 MW. The plant is a collaborative effort between the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Russia's Atomstroyexport (part of Rosatom). The initial plan was for two units, with construction beginning on March 31, 2002. Unit 1 was synchronized to the grid on October 22, 2013, and Unit 2 followed on October 15, 2016.
The KKNPP connects to the broader framework of Indo-Russian nuclear cooperation and is regulated by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). The project is planned to have a total of six units, with a cumulative capacity of 6,000 MW. The project has changed recently with the construction of Units 3 and 4 beginning on June 29, 2017, and Units 5 and 6 beginning construction in 2021. The AERB granted permission for the erection of major equipment for Units 5 and 6 on April 30, 2026, following a multi-tier safety review. The expansion is governed by a subsequent IGA signed on December 5, 2008, which provided for the construction of four more units.