Nuclear Powerplants in India

Nuclear Powerplants in India

#GS-03 Science and Technology

For Prelims

India and Nuclear Energy:

  • Nuclear power is the fifth-largest source of electricity in India after coal, gas, hydroelectricity and wind power.
  • Currently, India has 22 nuclear power reactors operating in 7 states, with an installed capacity of 6780 MegaWatt electric (MWe).
  • 18 reactors are Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and 4 are Light Water Reactors (LWRs).

Operational Nuclear Power Plants in India

Name Of Nuclear Power Station Location Operator Capacity
Kakrapar Atomic Power Station – 1993 Gujarat NPCIL 440
(Kalpakkam) Madras Atomic Power Station – 1984 Tamil Nadu NPCIL 440
Narora Atomic Power Station- 1991 Uttar Pradesh NPCIL 440
Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant -2000 Karnataka NPCIL 880
Rajasthan Atomic Power Station – 1973 Rajasthan NPCIL 1,180
Tarapur Atomic Power Station – 1969 Maharashtra NPCIL 1,400
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant – 2013 Tamil Nadu NPCIL 2,000

 

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited:

  • The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is an Indian public sector undertaking based in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
  • It is wholly owned by the Government of India and is responsible for the generation of electricity from nuclear power.
  • NPCIL is administered by the Department of Atomic Energy.

Rosatom:

  • Rosatom, also known as Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation is a Russian state corporation headquartered in Moscow that specializes in nuclear energy.
  • Rosatom’s nuclear fuel division, TVEL Fuel Company, is the current supplier of TVS – 2 M fuel for the two VVER 1,000 MWe reactors generating power in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP).
  • This fuel has an 18month fuel cycle, meaning that the reactor has to be stopped for fresh fuel loading every one-and-a-half years.
  • TVEL has now offered the more modern Advanced Technology Fuel (ATF), whose fuel cycle is 24 months.
  • This will ensure more efficiency, additional power generation due to prolonged operation of the reactor and sizeable savings of the foreign exchange needed to buy fresh fuel assemblies from Russia.