The Kakrapar Atomic Power Project in Gujarat, India’s first indigenously developed 700Mwe nuclear power reactor has started operations at full capacity. The reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) began commercial on June 13 but has only reached 90% of its capacity as of yet.

Applauding the project, PM Narendra Modi through the social media platform X, said, “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.

Amit Shah the Union home minister also congratulated the scientists and engineers involved in the project. “ India’s power acquires a new dimension today as our largest indigenous 700Mwe Kakrapar nuclear power plant unit-3 in Gujarat starts operations at full capacity. It is a firm step towards attaining PM @narendramodi Ji’s vision of self-sufficiency in power production…,” Shah wrote on X.

About the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL)

According to a source Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is working on building two pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) that generate 700 megawatts of power each in Kakarapar, where two power plants of 220 MW already exist. Various commissioning activities were underway at KAPP 4, which had achieved 97.56% progress by July, according to officials. NPCIL plans to establish 16 of these 700 MW PHWRs across the country and has provided financial and administrative approval for the same.

At Rawatbhata in Rajasthan (RAPS 7 and 8) and Gorakhpur in Haryana (GHAVP 1 and 2) construction of a 700 MW nuclear power plant is going on.

According to an article from Hindustan Time, the reactor fleet comprises two Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), 19 pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs), two 1000 MW VVER reactors, and a smaller 100 MW PHWR in Rajasthan controlled by the Department of Atomic Energy of the Government of India.

The Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) Unit 3, one of NPCIL’s recent projects, started commercial operation on June 30, 2023. NPCIL is also working on 9 more reactors that are under construction and will have a total capacity of 7500 MW.

India now has 23 nuclear reactors in operation in eight nuclear power plants, with a total installed capacity of 7,480 MW. Twelve more reactors are under construction at various stages, connected to the grid, totalling 9,400 MW. World’s largest Nuclear power plant to be built in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri in collaboration with France