Quick answer: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), India’s nuclear safety watchdog, has given the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) permission to install the reactor pressure vessels, steam generators and coolant pumps of Kudankulam Units 5 and 6 in Tamil Nadu. The permission was issued on 1 May 2026, and the project is back in current-affairs lists this week as the regulator’s role draws attention.
Why Kudankulam and the AERB are in the news
According to World Nuclear News, the AERB issued the “Major Equipment Erection” permission to NPCIL on 1 May 2026. All India Radio’s news service reported the same decision on 2 May 2026. The regulator said it cleared the step only after a multi-tier safety review of the design of the two units against its own requirements, and after checking how much civil construction had been completed under an earlier clearance.
That earlier clearance was the “First Pour of Concrete” permission of April 2021. A nuclear plant clears regulatory gates in stages: the concrete-pour stage lets buildings come up, while this stage lets the hardware that holds and cools the reactor core go inside them.
Kudankulam at a glance: unit-wise status
Kudankulam sits in Radhapuram taluk of Tirunelveli district, near the southern tip of India. NPCIL says the project is being built with technical cooperation from Russia under an Inter-Governmental Agreement. The reactors are of the Russian VVER design, a type of pressurised water reactor (PWR) that uses ordinary (light) water.
| Unit(s) | Capacity | Status (as reported) |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | 1,000 MWe (PWR) | In commercial operation since 31 December 2014 (NPCIL) |
| Unit 2 | 1,000 MWe (PWR) | In commercial operation since 31 March 2017 (NPCIL) |
| Units 3 and 4 | 2 x 1,000 MW | Under construction; work began in 2017. First fuel for Unit 3 was delivered in December 2025 (WNN) |
| Units 5 and 6 | 2 x 1,000 MW | Under construction since 2021; concrete-pour permission April 2021; major equipment erection permission 1 May 2026 |
| Units 7 and 8 | VVER-1200 (AES-2006 design) | Proposed as a fourth phase (WNN) |
NPCIL’s plant list puts its total installed capacity at 8,780 MWe across 24 units.
AERB: static facts every aspirant should know
- Born by executive order, not by a separate Act: The President constituted the AERB on 15 November 1983 through Gazette notification S.O. 4772, using powers under Section 27 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962.
- Who it answers to: The constitution order makes the Board responsible to the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). Appeals against AERB decisions also lie with the AEC, whose decision is final.
- Headquarters: Niyamak Bhavan, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai.
- Current head: A.K. Balasubrahmanian took charge as Chairperson on 1 January 2026, succeeding Dr D.K. Shukla. The first chairman was Prof. A.K. De (1983-1990).
- Mission: To make sure the use of ionising radiation and nuclear energy in India does not cause undue risk to people’s health or the environment.
- Core work: Framing safety codes for siting, design, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning of plants; setting radiation dose limits for workers and the public; reviewing emergency plans; and enforcing industrial safety under the Factories Act, 1948 in Department of Atomic Energy units.
- Statutory backing: Down To Earth reported that the SHANTI Bill, 2025, introduced in Parliament on 15 December 2025, gives the AERB statutory backing and separates the Centre’s strategic licensing from the regulator’s technical safety approvals.
Why this step matters
The SHANTI legislation also opens nuclear power to private companies, which puts more weight on a credible regulator. Down To Earth notes the targets of 22 GW of nuclear capacity by 2032 and 100 GW by 2047, against about 8.7 GW today. Each new Kudankulam unit counts towards that goal.
Exam angle: how NDA, CDS and CAPF can ask this
- Static GK on regulators is common: expect questions on the year the AERB was set up, its parent law, and the body it reports to.
- Questions on reactor types (PWR, PHWR, BWR) and matching plants to states (Kudankulam-Tamil Nadu, Kaiga-Karnataka, Tarapur-Maharashtra) appear in general studies papers.
- India-Russia cooperation topics often bring in Kudankulam as the flagship civil nuclear project.
Practice MCQs
Q1. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board was constituted in 1983 under which provision?
(a) Article 246 of the Constitution (b) Section 27 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (c) Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 (d) Factories Act, 1948
Answer: (b) – The 1983 Gazette order cites Section 27 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962.
Q2. Appeals against decisions of the AERB lie with:
(a) Supreme Court of India (b) Ministry of Power (c) Atomic Energy Commission (d) NITI Aayog
Answer: (c) – The constitution order says the AEC’s decision on appeals is final.
Q3. The reactors at Kudankulam are of which type?
(a) Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (b) Boiling Water Reactor (c) Fast Breeder Reactor (d) VVER pressurised water reactor
Answer: (d) – Kudankulam uses Russian-designed VVER light water reactors.
Q4. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project is located in which district?
(a) Tirunelveli (b) Kanchipuram (c) Thoothukudi (d) Ramanathapuram
Answer: (a) – NPCIL places the project in Radhapuram taluk of Tirunelveli district.
Frequently asked questions
What did the AERB approve for Kudankulam Units 5 and 6?
It permitted NPCIL to install major equipment, including the reactor pressure vessel, steam generators and coolant pumps. The permission was issued on 1 May 2026.
When was the AERB set up?
The President constituted the AERB on 15 November 1983 under Section 27 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962.
Who heads the AERB now?
A.K. Balasubrahmanian has been Chairperson since 1 January 2026. He took over from Dr D.K. Shukla.
How many units are planned at Kudankulam?
Six VVER-1000 units are being built in three pairs, and two operate today. Units 7 and 8, with larger VVER-1200 reactors, have been proposed as a fourth phase.
Where is the AERB headquartered?
At Niyamak Bhavan, Anushaktinagar, in Mumbai.
Also read on NCA: Indian Navy submarines, AIP and the nuclear triad | Monthly defence current affairs PDFs | CDS coaching in Chandigarh
Sources: World Nuclear News, News On AIR, NPCIL, AERB constitution order, AERB Board, Down To Earth. Facts as reported up to 7 November 2026.
Featured image background (representative): Reetesh Chaurasia / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
