The Heavy Civil Infrastructure (HCI) business of India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has won a significant order from Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to support the construction of units 5&6 at the Kudankulam NPP in Tamil Nadu.
Kudankulam NPP will comprise six units with VVER-1000 reactors. Work began following an intergovernmental agreement between India and Russia signed in 1988. Units 1&2 (Phase I) are already in operation and work is underway to build units 3-6 (Phases II and III). The customer and operator of the station is the National Power Company of India Ltd (NPCIL), the general contractor is JSC ASE JSC (Rosatom’s Engineering Division), general designer Atomenergoproject and equipment designer OKB Gidropress.
Units 1&2 began operation in 2016. The general framework agreement with Rosatom on the construction units 3&4 was signed in 2014 and, in 2017, the engineering division of Rosatom and NPCIL signed an agreement on the construction units 5&6. Work on units 5&6 began in 2021.
The L&T contract includes installation of the nuclear reactor and turbine systems (with generator and condenser), sea water systems, polar and trestle cranes, and other related equipment. It also includes accessories, piping, supports, structural steelwork, painting, anti-corrosion coating, insulation and full testing across various buildings and structures on site. According to L&T’s classification system, a significant order is valued at INR10-25bn ($114-284m). In 2021, L&T won an order from NPCIL to carry out major construction work at Kudankulam 5&6 including the construction of a reactor building, an auxiliary reactor building, a turbine hall, a diesel generator building and other safety-critical structures. The company noted that the new order confirms its experience and competence in implementing large and complex nuclear infrastructure projects as part of India’s “green energy mission”.
