Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear corporation, has started the process of shortlisting three-four Indian equipment vendors for future nuclear power projects being jointly planned in India.
The focus is on moving to a serial construction model, starting with localizing mechanical engineering production to produce components and equipment in India in order to avoid time and cost overruns, as experienced with the first couple of units of the Koodankulam (in Tamil Nadu) project.
Rosatom has begun negotiations for identifying local partners and a final list of Indian vendors is expected to be firmed up by next year, Government sources said.
The frontrunners for the collaborations include stateowned equipment firm Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) and private sector engineering firm Larsen & Toubro (L&T). Over the last six months, Russian atomic power experts have visited local firms on exploratory sorties, examining equipment, quality control processes and work styles as a precursor to charting out a plan to localize production, sources said.
"Rosatom chief Mr Sergey Kiriyenko has committed (to the Indian side) that three four Indian firms will be shortlisted soon," a senior Government official involved in the exercise said.
BHEL, which has played a critical role in equipment supply at nearly all the indigenous nuclear projects in India, is already involved in the Koodankulam project and has been contracted to erect the turbine generator supplied by Russia at the site. L&T, the other key player, has also been associated with the Indian nuclear power programme, supplying critical equipment such as reactor vessel (calandria), endshields, stem generators and heat exchangers at existing Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors.
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