October 2, 2025 – Holtec International has announced in an official press release that, in partnership with its subsidiary Holtec Asia, it has successfully shipped the first high-density spent fuel storage racks and a multi-purpose transport cask to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). These shipments are bound for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) in Tamil Nadu, a six-unit VVER-1000 facility developed with Russian collaboration.
According to the press release, the new spent fuel storage racks, manufactured using Holtec’s proprietary Metamic material, offer the highest levels of reactivity suppression and structural integrity available in the industry. Produced jointly by Holtec Asia and Holtec International, the racks will be installed in a freestanding configuration within KKNPP’s newly constructed wet storage facility. The design has been tailored to suit the hexagonal fuel assemblies of the VVER-1000 reactors, which differ from the square configuration common in Western pressurized water reactors.
The company also confirmed the shipment of the HI-STAR 149 multi-purpose transport cask, developed with advanced radiation-shielding technology. This cask will enable the safe and efficient transfer of spent fuel from reactor building pools to the wet storage facility. Together, these systems represent a major infusion of Holtec’s patented innovations in nuclear criticality safety, radiation protection, and structural engineering into India’s nuclear energy program.
Holtec’s India-born founder and CEO, Dr. Krishna Singh, emphasized in the release that the initiative reflects India’s potential to achieve world-class standards in nuclear manufacturing. “The supply of these complex nuclear components through a close collaborative effort between Holtec (US) and Holtec Asia has given us the opportunity to demonstrate that Prime Minister Modi’s plan to elevate India’s manufacturing capacity to world-class levels can be realized in full measure by using a systematic approach of technology infusion into the country,” Dr. Singh stated.
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Looking ahead, Holtec noted in the release its intention to bring its walk-away safe SMR-300 small modular reactors to India, suitable for deployment across diverse terrains. The company also highlighted future opportunities in hybrid nuclear-solar generation and long-duration energy storage through its Holtec Green Boiler technology, aimed at supporting India’s transition from coal to clean energy.
This press release underscores Holtec’s continued role as a global leader in spent fuel storage and transport technologies, while also reaffirming its commitment to India’s rapidly expanding nuclear power program.