Russia, currently assisting India in the construction of two 1,000 MWe nuclear power reactors at Koodankulam nuclear plant in this district, is negotiating with New Delhi to build more reactors, its Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Sobyanin has said.

"Russian Federation is prepared to construct new cost-effective nuclear reactors for India, considering its energy needs, and negotiations are going on in this direction," Sobyanin, on a visit to the Koodankulam nuclear power plant yesterday, told reporters.

Heading a nine-member high-level delegation, Sobyanin inspected the progress of the work on construction of the 2 X 1000 MWe reactors in collaboration with Russia at a cost of Rs 13,171 crore at the plant. Russia was keen to build two more such reactors for the plant, he said. Expressing satisfaction over the progress of the work, he said the process of installation of equipment was going on.

"Many systems have been commissioned and put into operation. The process of commissioning other systems are on." The first reactor of Koodankulam Nuclear Power plant would go critical next year and the negotiations for constructing third and fourth reactors were on.