India's largest and first 540 MWe nuclear power
unit of Nuclear Power Corporation of India is likely to begin commercial
operations in by end-September 2005. The unit has already reached criticality on
6 March 2005. Trial runs are currently underway. The project, representing Unit
No.4 of the Tarapur atomic power plant in Maharashtra, is running around
six months ahead of schedule. It would be the country's 15th nuclear power unit.
The unit is based on pressurised heavy water (PHWR) technology, using uranium as
fuel and heavy water as coolant.
NPCIL is confident of adding 3,420 MWe of nuclear
power by December 2008, over and above the aforementioned Tarapur unit.
The following is the implementation schedule:
| Plant |
Unit
No. |
Capacity
(MWe) |
Commissioning
Date |
| Tarapur, Maharashtra* |
3 |
540 |
Jan-07 |
| Kaiga, Karnataka |
3 |
220 |
Mar-07 |
| Kaiga, Karnataka |
4 |
220 |
Sep-07 |
| Kudankulam, Tamil
Nadu** |
1 |
1,000 |
Dec-07 |
| Kudankulam, Tamil
Nadu** |
2 |
1,000 |
Dec-08 |
| Rajasthan |
5 |
220 |
Aug-07 |
| Rajasthan |
6 |
220 |
Feb-08 |
| Total
(7 units) |
|
3,420 |
|
*NPCIL
will commission Unit No.4 before Unit No.3
** Light water reactors, all others are PHWRs. |
Also See:
NPCIL's
Tarapur unit to go commercial sooner (07-May-05)