Kakrapar atomic plant to start commercial operations by Dec: Govt

New Delhi: An indigenously developed 700 MW nuclear power plant at Kakrapar in Gujarat is expected to start commercial operations by December, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha, Singh said during the commissioning of Unit 3 at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station, elevated temperatures were observed in certain areas of the reactor building which have since been addressed by carrying out requisite modifications and improvements.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is building two 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) at Kakrapar, which is also home to two 220 MW power plants.

There are no design flaws or safety issues in the design of indigenous 700 MW PHWRs, Singh said.

He said in Unit-3, modifications/improvements required based on commissioning feedback have been carried out and their validation was also completed by the hot run.

The unit is now being readied for startup and progressive power raise to full power in line with the regulatory clearances, he said.

The unit is expected to commence commercial operation by December 2022, after obtaining stage-wise regulatory clearances, Singh said in response to a question put by Lok Sabha member from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor.

Singh also informed that Unit-4 at Kakrapar has achieved physical progress of 93.65 per cent as of June this year.

Among the other 700 MW PHWRs under construction, Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) 7 and 8 at Rawatbhata have achieved physical progress of 95 per cent and 80.8 per cent respectively.

In respect of Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana (GHAVP) 1&2 at Gorakhpur, Haryana, various buildings and structures are under construction.

"In the ten PHWRs Kaiga 5&6 at Kaiga in Karnataka, GHAVP 3&4, Mahi Banswara 1 to 4 in Rajasthan and Chutka 1&2 at in Madhya Pradesh, pre-project activities at sites and procurement of long delivery equipment have been undertaken, Singh said.

The Minister said excavation has also commenced at Kaiga units 5 & 6 in Karnataka.

(With PTI inputs)

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