The fourth unit of the Kaiga Generating Station (KGS) — the country's 20th nuclear power reactor — achieved criticality on 2010 November 27. With this unit becoming operational, India now ranks sixth in terms of production of nuclear energy, behind the United States, France, Japan, Russia and South Korea.
India's 20th nuclear power plant became operational taking the total installed atomic power capacity in the country to 4780 MW. The indigenously developed 220 MW capacity Unit 4 of the Kaiga Atomic Power Station attained criticality making India the sixth country in the world to have 20 or more nuclear power plants in operation.
A nuclear reactor is said to have attained criticality when it is ready to maintain stability of the chain reaction indicating that the unit is has achieved a steady output of power. The Kaiga-4 was built a few years ago but was unable to start power production for want of fuel. India's exemption from the Nuclear Suppliers' Group guidelines in 2008 that facilitated its return to global nuclear trade made the access to fuel possible.
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The unit-4 of Kaiga Generating Station (KGS), the 20th nuclear power reactor of the country, achieved its first criticality today at 08:07 hrs. Criticality, in nuclear terms, signifies the start of self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction in the reactor core, which leads to the production of power. The unit will be synchronized to the southern grid after carrying out certain mandatory tests early next month. With Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited’s Kaiga-4 unit becoming operational, India is now elevated to the sixth rank in an elite club of nations, after USA, France, Japan, Russian Federation and Republic of Korea, to have twenty or more nuclear power reactors currently in operation. The electricity generated from this unit will be supplied to the beneficiary states – Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Pudducherry. Kaiga-4 is the NPCIL’s third nuclear power reactor after RAPS unit-5 & unit-6, to have started operation during the current year, raising the nuclear installed capacity in the country from the current 4560 MW to 4780 MW.
KGS-4, like its predecessors – KGS-1, 2 and 3 that are in operation – is an indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) of 220 MW and is fuelled with the uranium sourced from domestic mines. Currently, two Light Water Reactors (LWRs), each of 1000 MW at a KudanKulam as well as a Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) of 500 MW at Kalpakkam are at advanced stages of completion. In addition, four indigenously designed 700-MW PHWRs, two each at Kakrapar in Gujarat and Rawatbhata in Rajasthan, have also been launched for commencing construction during the current year. The installed nuclear power capacity on progressive completion of the reactors under construction will reach 7280 MW and 10080 MW by the year 2012 and 2017, respectively. NPCIL’s vision is to reach 20000 MW or more by the year 2020 and play a major role in reaching country’s installed nuclear power capacity of 63000 MW by 2032 by setting up indigenously designed 700 MW PHWRs and 1000 MW or larger size Light Water Reactors (LWRs). NPCIL has started pre-project activities at two inland sites for setting up indigenous 700-MW PHWRs in Haryana, MP and three coastal sites to set up 1000-MW or larger-size LWRs, based on international technical cooperation, in Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. NPCIL is unique in having comprehensive capabilities in the various facets of nuclear technology, namely, site selection, design, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance, renovation and modernization, and life extension of nuclear power plants.
NPCIL’s first pair of indigenously designed 700 MW Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) at Kakrapar in Gujarat achieved first pour of concrete today. First Pour of Concrete (FPC) is an important milestone in the construction of a nuclear power project. It essentially signifies the start of the construction of the project (zero date). The ground breaking for KAPP-3&4 was started on January 16, 2010. The excavation work was successfully completed in a record time of four months. After completion of the excavation, the preparatory activities to FPC namely confirmatory sub-soil investigation, geological mapping , rock anchor installation, water proofing, laying of mud mat, reinforcement bar laying etc. were also completed in about four months period. The 700 MW PHWR is the latest state of art technology nuclear power reactor which has been designed by NPCIL by scaling up its 540 MW PHWRs (TAPS-3&4) that are under successful operation at Tarapur since 2005. NPCIL has launched four indigenously designed 700 MW PHWRs, two each at Kakrapar in Gujarat and Rawatbhata in Rajasthan in January and August 2010 respectively. These reactors are slated for commercial operation in the year 2015 and 2016 respectively. Currently, NPCIL operates 19 nuclear power reactors with an installed capacity of 4560MW. With the first pour of concrete, KAPP-3&4 have also joined the fleet of NPCIL’s three reactors under advanced stage of construction - raising the number of reactors under construction from three to five and the capacity from 2220 MW to 3620 MW. The excavation work of other pair of 700 MW PHWRs, RAPP-7&8, at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan, is also in advanced stage and the first pour of concrete is expected by March, 2011. NPCIL’s installed capacity will reach to 9580 MW by the year 2016 with the progressive completion of the nuclear power reactors under construction. NPCIL has a vision to reach 20000 MW or more by the year 2020 and play a major role in reaching country’s installed nuclear power capacity of 63000MW by the year 2032, by setting up nuclear power reactors based on indigenously designed 700 MW PHWRs and Light Water Reactors of 1000 MW or larger size reactors based on international technical cooperation.
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