MUMBAI: India’s nuclear programme crossed a significant milestone at 2.37am on Monday when the seventh unit of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (Rapp-7) at Rawatbhata was connected to the northern grid.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) on Tuesday said in a statement that the power level of the unit will be increased in steps to full power, conforming to regulatory clearances. It said Rapp-7 is the third reactor of the 700 MW series of 16 indigenous pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWR) being set up in the country.
NPCIL said the indigenous 700 MW PHWR will constitute a significant component of the capacity of 100 GW by 2047, announced under the Nuclear Energy Mission.
“A typical 700 MW reactor would generate about 5.2 billion units of clean energy at 85 per plant load factor per annum, thereby averting about 4.5 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions annually,” NPCIL said in the statement.
With this, NPCIL now operates 25 reactors with a total capacity of 8,880 MW, with 13,100 MW capacity under construction.