Prime Minister to Dedicate to Nation 2 N-Power Reactors; Kakrapar Plant 4 to be Connected to Grid Soon

Defense News ,India :- India's Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is about to connect its second 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) to the power grid, according to an official on Wednesday. This comes just ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Gujarat on Thursday, where he will dedicate two 700 MW PHWRs at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) to the nation.

The KAPS-3 reactor has already been synchronized with the grid, and KAPS-4 is expected to be connected soon, as per an anonymous official. These two reactors will provide power to states such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, and the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The first 700 MW PHWR (KAPS-3), which began commercial operations in July last year, has generated 3,182 million units up to January 2024, operating at a capacity factor of 88%, as stated by NPCIL.

Prime Minister Modi will dedicate these two units, constructed at a cost of over Rs. 22,500 crore, as part of NPCIL's initiative to set up 16 PHWRs in the country. Additionally, two more 700 MW PHWRs are under construction at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS), along with the existing units at RAPS.

Currently, NPCIL operates 23 reactors with a total capacity of 7,480 MW, and eight units with a capacity of 6,800 MW are under construction. Furthermore, 10 additional reactors with a total capacity of 7,000 MW are in the pre-project stage, anticipated to be completed progressively by 2031-32, according to NPCIL's projections. These include units at Rajasthan Atomic Power Project, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, and Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana.