PM announces full capacity operation of India's largest domestically built 700 MW nuclear power plant at Kakrapar

Tags: Science and Technology

On August 31, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the commencement of full-capacity operations at India's largest domestically built 700 MW nuclear power plant located at Kakrapar in Gujarat.

An Overview of the News

• The nuclear facility at Kakrapar is the largest nuclear facility of its kind to be built entirely within India.

• Initially, the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) started commercial operations on 30 June but was operating at 90% capacity.

• It reached its maximum operational capacity on 31 August.

Nuclear power development in Kakrapar and all over India:-

• Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is responsible for the construction of two 700 MW Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) at Kakrapar in Gujarat.

• Kakrapar also has two power plants of 220 MW each.

• NPCIL currently operates 23 commercial nuclear power reactors.

Future plans and projects:-

• KAPP Unit 4 had achieved 97.56% progress as of July while commissioning activities were in progress.

• NPCIL has plans to build 16 more PHWRs of 700 MW each across the country and has secured financial and administrative approvals for these projects.

• Other 700 MW nuclear power plant projects are in progress at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan (RAPS 7 & 8), and Gorakhpur, Haryana (GHAVP 1 & 2).

• The government has approved the construction of 10 indigenously developed PHWRs in fleet mode at four locations: Gorakhpur (Haryana), Chutka (Madhya Pradesh), Mahi Banswara (Rajasthan), and Kaiga (Karnataka).