Chennai, Sep 23 (IANS): ZiO-Podolsk, the machine engineering arm of Russian nuclear group Rosatom has been qualified to supply equipments for the third and fourth nuclear power units to be set up in Tamil Nadu.

In a statement issued late Thursday, Rosatom, Russia's state atomic energy corporation said ZiO-Podolsk has passed an audit to become an equipment supplier for the second phase of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP).

The audit was carried out by representatives of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and the general contractor - ASE Engineering Group.

According to the statement, ZiO-Podolsk will produce eight sets of separator super heaters and the same number of high-pressure pre-heaters for the new reactors at Kudankulam.

Representatives of NPCIL visited the manufacturing arm of ZiO-Podolsk to get to know the technological infrastructure and production practices of the division.

In general, ZiO-Podolsk, apart from super heaters and pre-heaters, will supply reactor pressure vessel, main circulation pump, coolant pump, suppression pools and support plates for main reactor.

In 2003-2004, the Rosatom subsidiary produced and supplied reactor equipment for two units at KNPP. The company also supplied 24 units of passive system for heat removal were supplied.

Two further VVER-1000s are planned for construction at Kudankulam under Russian-Indian framework agreement signed in 2014.

Excavation works for Kudankulam units 3 and 4 are in progress. According to Atomstroyexport, first concrete for the new units will be poured in March 2017.

In December 2014, Moscow and New Delhi signed a document on strategic vision of serial construction of nuclear power units in India by using Russian technologies.

The document outlines plans for the construction of more than 12 nuclear power units in India, at Kudankulam site as well, Rosatom added.