Country wants to deploy 18 new units by early 2030s.
India’s indigenous Kakrapar-4 nuclear power plant in the western Gujarat state was connected to the grid on 20 February, according to a statement by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL).
The 700-MW pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) unit achieved its first chain reaction on 17 December 2023. Construction of Kakrapar-4 began in November 2010.
The PHWR design used for Kakrapar-3 and -4 was developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre near Mumbai from earlier Candu 220 MW and 540 MW designs from Canada.
There are two older PHWRs in commercial operation at Kakrapar. Both units, Kakrapar-1 and -2 are 202-MW plants that began operation in the 1990s.
NPCIL said that 10 proposed new reactor units with combined capacity of 7,000 MW are undergoing “pre-project activities” in addition to eight reactor units being under construction at present.
The company said it is targeting completion in 2031-2032 as part of a government push to reach 22,480 MW of installed nuclear capacity.
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, India has 19 reactors in commercial operation which provided about 3% of the country’s electricity generation in 2022.
In December, India confirmed plans to build at least 10 more nuclear power units to increase the production of clean energy as the country is still largely dependent on coal.
These 10 plants are Kaiga-5 and Kaiga-6 in Karnataka state, Mahi Banswara 1-4 in Rajasthan state Gorakhpur-3 and -4 in Haryana state, and Chutka-1 and -2 in Madhya Pradesh state.