The US’s Flowserve Corp and Indian EPC firm Core Energy Systems Ltd have formed a strategic collaboration to locally manufacture primary coolant pumps (PCPs) for India’s nuclear power pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) fleet.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has granted Flowserve specific authorization under 10 CFR Part 810. This authorisation enables Flowserve’s advanced PCP technology to be transferred to India. In November 2024, India’s Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) authorized Core to collaborate with Flowserve, with an assurance to the US that the transferred technology will be utilized exclusively for peaceful civil nuclear activities meeting the terms of US Government requirements.
PCPs are critical equipment for any nuclear power plant. They provide a steady coolant supply to remove heat from the reactor core, protecting the reactor and enabling continuous, safe power generation. The pumps are designed with a strong emphasis on reliability and ease of maintenance.
Flowserve has more than 5,000 pumps and 15,000 valves installed in over 200 nuclear reactors worldwide. The first primary coolant pumps went into service in the 1960s and there are approximately 245 in operation today in 57 reactors in seven countries.
India currently operates 25 nuclear reactors generating 8,880MW, with eight new units (6.6GW) under construction and an ambitious target of 100GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 – central to the national vision of Viksit Bharat and net zero.
“As a global leader in flow control technology and solutions for the nuclear power industry, Flowserve is excited to receive official approval from the US Department of Energy to be able to manufacture safety-critical pumps for India’s new reactors at our Coimbatore, India facility,” said Ihab Botros, vice president and general manager for Engineered Pumps, at Flowserve. “This achievement, made possible through our collaboration with Core, marks a significant step forward in India’s nuclear growth and the global clean energy transition. We’re excited for the future of nuclear energy and see India as an important part of the industry’s growth.”
Nagesh Basarkar, chairman and managing director of Core, said: “For over 20 years, Core has led India’s strategic engineering journey. This collaboration to locally manufacture PCPs not only delivers the highest technology to our nuclear sector, but also strengthens our country’s supply-chain resilience.”
This collaboration will also develop and qualify the local supply chain for nuclear-grade components to meet the industry’s exacting standards.
