NPCIL’s Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant: India’s nuclear power operator NPCIL on Friday said it has started loading fuel in the second indigenously-built 700 MW atomic power station at Kakrapar in Gujarat. “Loading of nuclear fuel for the first time, termed as Initial Fuel Loading (IFL). commenced today in NPCIL’s Kakrapar Atomic Power Project Unit-4 (KAPP 4-700 MWe), after receipt of permission from the regulatory authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB),” the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said in a statement.
Initial Fuel Loading is an important milestone in the setting up of a nuclear power plant, as it is the prelude to the approach to criticality which refers to the beginning of fission chain reaction and subsequent start of power generation.
KAPP-4 is the second unit of the project to set up atomic power plants at Kakrapar in Gujarat.
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The first 700 MWe unit, KAPP-3 had commenced full power operation on August 30. KAPP Units 3&4 are the first two of the 16 indigenous 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) being set up in the country.
With the successful and stable operation of KAPP-3, the capability of NPCIL in setting up of indigenous reactors of PHWR technology of this size is validated and paves the path for early completion of the remaining 14 reactors, beginning with Units 7&8 of Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP 7&8) at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan, the statement said.
The indigenous 700 MWe PHWRs are designed, constructed, commissioned and operated by NPCIL, with the supply of equipment and execution of contracts by Indian industry.
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