India seventh in number of nuclear reactors in operation

At present India stands seventh in number of reactors in operation and fourteenth in terms of net installed capacity among countries with nuclear power. It is third in number of reactors under construction and sixth in terms of net capacity under construction.

India has developed comprehensive capabilities in all aspects of nuclear power including siting, design, construction, commissioning, operation & maintenance, renovation &modernisation and life extension of nuclear power plants.

Its safety record over 45 years of operation has been impeccable with no accident or instance of release of radioactivity in the public domain beyond stipulated limits. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL)’s reactors have been operated consistently at high Availability Factors and demonstrated operation at high Plant Load Factors. In terms of continuous operation, NPCIL reactors have operated for more than a year seventeen times with one reactor, Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit 5 (RAPS-5) setting a record of 765 days of continuous operation, second largest in the world. The nuclear power programme will continue to be pursued to add more capacity in future.

This information was provided by MoS in the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of State in the Ministry of Personnel, PG & Pensions, DrJitendra Singh in a reply to an unstarred question in Lok Sabha today.