PM to dedicate 2 N-plants to nation

New Delhi/Chennai: India’s atomic power major Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) will soon connect its second 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) to the grid, an official said on Wednesday, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Gujarat on Thursday to dedicate to the nation the two 700 MW PHWRs at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS).

While the KAPS-3 has been synchronised with the grid, KAPS-4 will also be connected to the grid soon, an official said on condition of anonymity.

With that, both the 700 MW PHWRs will supply power to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

Starting commercial operations in July last year, the country’s first 700 MW PHWR (KAPS-3) generated 3,182 million units till January 2024 and is working at a capacity factor of 88 per cent, NPCIL said. The Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation the two units that have been built at an outlay of over Rs 22,500 crore. They are part of the NPCIL's indigenously-designed and built 16 PHWRs being set up in the country. Two more 700 MW PHWRs are coming up at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) in addition to the existing four units of 220 MW, one of 200 MW, and another of 100 MW units.