Indias 20th nuclear power plant becomes operational

Nuclear Power Corporation of Indias 220 MW Kaiga-4 reactor reached power production stage early on Saturday,pushing India up into a list of six countries having more than 20 operational nuclear power reactors. Unit-4 of Kaiga Generating Station (KGS),the 20th nuclear power reactor of the country,achieved its first criticality today at 08:07 hours. The unit will be synchronised to the southern grid after carrying out certain mandatory tests early next month, NPCIL said in an official statement on Saturday. The unit will supply power to Karnataka,Tamil Nadu,Kerala,Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry. With Kaiga-4 becoming operational,the installed capacity of nuclear power in India goes up from 4,560 MW to 4,780 MW. The operational status for Kaiga-4 puts India behind the US,France,Japan,Russia and South Korea,in terms of operational nuclear reactors. The achievement of criticality meant the start of a self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction in the reactor core,which leads to the production of power,NPCIL said.

Kaiga-4,like Kaiga 1,2 and 3,are indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) of 220 MW and is fueled with the uranium sourced domestically, NPCIL said.

The reactor is the third NPCIL plant to begin operation this year after Rajasthan Atomic Power Station units 5 and 6.

Currently,two Light Water Reactors (LWRs),each of 1,000 MW at a Kudankulam as well as a Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) of 500 MW at Kalpakkam are at advanced stages of completion, NPCIL said.