Kundankulam data leak: NPCIL says nuclear safety or security systems not exposed

New Delhi: State-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has moved to allay concerns over an alleged data leak tied to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), stating that the drawings said to have been exposed through a breach at Reliance Infrastructure Ltd pertain solely to conventional Balance of Plant (BoP) facilities and have no bearing on nuclear safety or security systems.

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The PSU issued the clarification after media reports flagged an alleged leak of data connected to KKNPP Units 3 and 4. NPCIL traced the contract in question to a public tender floated in 2018.

“With reference to reports circulating in the media regarding the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) Units 3 & 4, it is clarified that the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contract for the Common Services - Balance of Plant (BoP) package was awarded to M/s Reliance Infrastructure Ltd. in 2018 through a Public Tender process,” it said.

Scope limited to common service facilities

The EPC contract, NPCIL said, spans the engineering, procurement and supply, construction, and commissioning of common service facilities for the project. The corporation stressed that these are conventional installations, comparable to those found in thermal power stations and other process industries, and bear no connection to nuclear safety or nuclear security systems.

Drawings developed via standard tender process

NPCIL noted that indicative drawings and technical specifications were shared with bidders as part of the open tendering exercise. “Based on these inputs and the requirements of the project, the EPC contractor, M/s Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, prepared detailed engineering drawings in consultation with the respective Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs),” the release stated. These designs, it added, were cleared by NPCIL following a technical review.

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No safety or security exposure, NPCIL maintains

Reaffirming that the incident carries no nuclear risk, the corporation said: “NPCIL reiterates that the information claimed to be available in the public domain pertains only to conventional Balance of Plant (BoP) common service facilities and does not relate to any nuclear safety- or nuclear security-related systems or information.”

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