New Delhi, Apr 28 (PTI) Excavation work for two 700 MW indigenously developed nuclear power plants in Karnataka’s Kaiga began on Thursday, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said.
The ground-breaking ceremony was held in the presence of NPCIL Chairman and Managing Director Bhuwan Chandra Pathak at the Kaiga Generating Station in Karwar district of Karnataka.
“Kaiga 5&6 reactors are the first set of 10 indigenous 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors sanctioned by the government to be set up in fleet mode,” the NPCIL said in a statement.
The components and equipment for the reactors are supplied by domestic industries and the work is being executed by Indian contractors, it said.
The present installed capacity of the Kaiga site is 880 MW with four units of 220 MW each. With the completion of Kaiga 5&6, the capacity of the Kaiga site will increase to 2,280 MW.
Earlier, the NPCIL, which is building the two plants, had completed the bifurcation fencing separating units 5&6 from the existing four units of 220 MW each. Vehicle radiation monitoring system and access control systems were operational at the site, the NPCIL had informed the nuclear regulator.
The government told Parliament last month that the construction of the two 700 MW PHWRs was likely to start next year with the ‘first pour of concrete’, kick-starting the ‘fleet mode’ development of the nuclear power plants.
The Union Cabinet had approved the construction of 10 nuclear power plants of 700 MW each in fleet mode at a cost of Rs 1.05 lakh crore in June 2017 with an aim to reduce cost and speed up construction time.
After Kaiga, the first pour of concrete is expected to take place for units 3&4 at the Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana in 2024. Construction is also expected to begin on four 700 MW units at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan in 2024, followed by the first pour of concrete for Units 1&2 of the Chutka Madhya Pradesh Atomic Power Project in 2025.
Bulk procurement was underway for the fleet mode projects with purchase orders placed for forgings for steam generators, SS 304L lattice tubes and plates for end shields, pressuriser forgings, bleed condensers forgings, incoloy-800 tubes for 40 steam generators, reactor headers, DAE officials said.
Engineering, procurement and construction package for turbine island has been awarded for Gorakhpur units 3&4 and Kaiga units 5&6, they added.
In fleet mode, a nuclear power plant is expected to be built over a period of five years from the first pour of concrete.
Currently, India operates 22 reactors with a total capacity of 6,780 MW. One 700 MW reactor at Kakrapar in Gujarat was connected to the grid on January 10 last year, but it is yet to start commercial operations. PTI SKU IJT
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