Ahmedabad: India’s first indigenously developed 700-megawatt electric (MWe) nuclear power reactor, located at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) in Gujarat, commenced operations on Thursday.
Taking to the social media platform X, PM Modi stated, “India achieves another milestone. The largest indigenous 700 MWe Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3 in Gujarat starts operations at full capacity. Congratulations to our scientists and engineers.”
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), a public sector enterprise operating under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has been entrusted with the responsibility of designing, constructing, commissioning, and operating nuclear power reactors in the country.
NPCIL operates 23 commercial nuclear power reactors with a combined capacity of 7480 MW, which accounts for a substantial portion of the country’s nuclear power capacity.
The fleet of reactors consists of two Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), 19 Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), including one 100 MW PHWR at Rajasthan owned by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India, and two 1000 MW capacity VVER reactors. On June 30, 2023, the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) Unit 3 began commercial operation.
NPCIL has 9 more reactors under construction with a total capacity of 7500 MW.
