NPCIL achieved a major construction milestone at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Unit-5 with the successful placement of the Reactor Pressure Vessel (RPV) inside the reactor building on June 15, 2026. The approximately 320-ton RPV was placed using a special heavy lift crane. This milestone follows regulatory approval from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for major equipment installation at Unit-5. The KKNPP site has six units of 1000 MW capacity each. Units 1 and 2 (2x1000 MW) are already in commercial operation and had cumulatively generated approximately 130 billion units of electricity by May 2026, avoiding approximately 112 million tons of CO2 emissions. NPCIL and Atomstroyexport (ASE) of Russia are jointly implementing the project. Operational date source: NPCIL press releases and news coverage cite December 2026 for commissioning.