Uranium & Fuel

India / Russia’s TVEL To Supply New Fuel For Kudankulam VVERs

By Kamen Kraev
9 December 2020

Russia’s TVEL To Supply New Fuel For Kudankulam VVERs
The Kudankulam nuclear power station in India. Courtesy Tvel.
Russian nuclear fuel company Tvel has signed an agreement with India’s National Nuclear Power Corporation to supply the Kudankulam-1 and -2 nuclear power units with a new fuel type known as TVS-2M.

Tvel said that in comparison to the UTVS fuel model, which is currently used at Kudankulam under an earlier supply contract, the TVS-2M fuel assemblies are “more reliable and cost-effective”.

The new-generation assemblies have higher uranium capacity, fuel burn-up, and in-pile robustness than UTVS fuel, Tvel said. They can help increase Kudankulam’s fuel cycle from 12 to 18 months.

Kudankulam-1 and -2 in Tamil Nadu, southern India, are both of the Russian VVER-1000/412 reactor type. Commercial operation began in December 2014 and March 2017.

There are also two Russia-supplied plants under construction at Kudankulam-3 and -4.

Tvel said it had already supplied its new TVS-2M fuel to the Tianwan nuclear power station in China.

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