NPCIL-designed PHWRs achieves First Pour of Concrete

NPCIL’s first pair of indigenously designed 700 MW Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors at Kakrapar in Gujarat achieved first pour of concrete today.

First Pour of Concrete essentially signifies the start of the construction of the KAPP-3&4 project. The ground breaking started on January 16, 2010 and the excavation work was successfully completed in a record time of four months. After completion of the excavation, the preparatory activities to FPC such as 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 that are under successful operation at Tarapur since 2005.

National Power Corporation of India Limited or 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.