Science
India's First Indigenous 700 MW Nuclear Power Reactor Begins Commercial Operations
Swarajya News Staff
Jul 30, 2023, 07:25 PM | Updated 08:32 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
India's first domestically developed 700 MW nuclear power reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) in Gujarat commenced commercial operations on 30 June, as confirmed by a senior KAPP official to news agency PTI.
KAPP-3 is a first-of-its-kind indigenous 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) — designed by Indian scientists and engineers, its components and equipment manufactured by Indian industry, and the construction and erection undertaken by Indian contractors, as tweeted by the Department of Atomic Energy.
KAPP-3 achieved its first criticality — a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction for the first time — on the morning of 22 July 2020.
Currently, the KAPP-3 unit is operating at 90 per cent of its total power capacity.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is constructing two 700 MW PHWRs at Kakrapar, which is also home to two 220 MW power plants.
At KAPP-4, various commissioning activities are in progress, with a reported achievement of 96.92 per cent by the end of May, according to officials.
The NPCIL has approved the construction of 16 700 MW PHWRs throughout the country. This includes both the financial and administrative sanctions for the project.
Currently, the construction of 700 MW nuclear power plants is in progress at two locations: Rawatbhata in Rajasthan (RAPS 7 and 8) and Gorakhpur in Haryana (GHAVP 1 and 2).
In order to boost indigenous development, the government has given the green light for the construction of 10 PHWRs. These will be built in fleet mode at four different locations: Gorakhpur in Haryana, Chutka in Madhya Pradesh, Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan, and Kaiga in Karnataka.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.