Table of Contents
Nuclear Power Plants in India
Nuclear Power Plants in India: The best possible balance between different energy sources is being sought while also pursuing nuclear energy, which is a significant part of the nation’s energy mix. A clean, environmentally beneficial base load source of power, it is accessible around-the-clock. Additionally, it holds enormous promise for securing the nation’s sustainable long-term energy security. After coal, gas, wind, and hydroelectricity, nuclear power is the fifth-largest source of electricity generation in India.
There are 22 reactors in the nation running above 80% plant load factor as of 2021, with a combined installed capacity of 6780 MWe. There are four light water reactors and eighteen pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) in total (LWRs). Under Homi J. Bhabha’s direction, India’s nuclear energy programme was started around the time of independence.
The Mumbai-based Apsara Research Reactor is Asia’s first nuclear power plant. India has a little indigenous uranium deposit; hence the country must import uranium from other nations to fuel its nuclear power industry. Russia has been India’s main source of nuclear fuel since the 1990s.
List of Nuclear Power Plants
List of 7 Operational Nuclear Power Plants in India:
Name | Location | Capacity |
Kakrapar Atomic Power Station – 1993 | Gujarat | 440 |
(Kalpakkam) Madras Atomic Power Station – 1984 | Tamil Nadu | 440 |
Narora Atomic Power Station- 1991 | Uttar Pradesh | 440 |
Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant -2000 | Karnataka | 880 |
Rajasthan Atomic Power Station – 1973 | Rajasthan | 1,180 |
Tarapur Atomic Power Station – 1969 | Maharashtra | 1,400 |
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant – 2013 | Tamil Nadu | 2,000 |
List of Nuclear Power Plants: Under Construction
The table displays the capacity and operator information for each of India’s nuclear power plants that are currently under construction.
Name | Location | Capacity |
Madras (Kalpakkam) | Tamil Nadu | 500 |
Rajasthan Unit 7 and 8 | Rajasthan | 1,400 |
Kakrapar Unit 3 and 4 | Gujarat | 1,400 |
Kudankulam Unit 3 and 4 | Tamil Nadu | 2,000 |
List of Nuclear Power Plants in India: Upcoming Project
Name | Location | Capacity |
Tarapur | Maharashtra | 300 |
Madras | Tamil Nadu | 1,200 |
Kaiga | Karnataka | 1,400 |
Chutka | Madhya Pradesh | 1,400 |
Gorakhpur | Haryana | 2,800 |
Bhimpur | Madhya Pradesh | 2,800 |
Mahi Banswara | Rajasthan | 2,800 |
Haripur | West Bengal | 4,000 |
Mithi Virdi (Viradi) | Gujarat | 6,000 |
Kovvada | Andhra Pradesh | 6,600 |
Jaitapur | Maharashtra | 9,900 |
Nuclear Power Plants in India Map
First Nuclear Power Plant in India
The oldest nuclear facility in India is the Tarapur Nuclear Reactor in Maharashtra, Western India, which started conducting commercial operations in 1969. With two BHWR reactors of 160 MW each and two PHWR reactors of 540 MW making up a total of 1,400 MW, the reactor is now the second most powerful in India.
The two PHWR reactors were added in 2005 and 2006, whereas the two BHWR were part of the initial installation in 1969.
Largest Nuclear Power Plant in India
The largest Nuclear Power Plant in India is the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (also known as Kudankulam NPP or KKNPP), which is located in Kudankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
How Many Nuclear Power Plants in India?
There are now 22 Nuclear Power Plants in operation in India, with a combined capacity of 6780 MW (As of 2021). Twelve more reactors are being built.
Nuclear Power Plants of India: Future
The majority of India’s nuclear power plants are pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) that were built domestically, while there are two Russian-designed WERs that are now in operation and two more that are being built. India, like other nations with PHWRs, has begun the process of renovating its reactors to enable prolonged operation.
India intends to significantly enhance its nuclear generation. India aims to construct 21 new nuclear power reactors, including 10 PHWRs, with a total combined generating capacity of 15,700 MWe by 2031, according to a January 2019 Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) announcement. In addition to those now under construction, DAE Chairman Kamlesh Vyas stated in October 2019 that 17 further nuclear power reactors are planned.
India should seek to create at least twice as much electricity from nuclear power plants by 2030, according to a recommendation made in March 2020 by the country’s Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment, Forests, and Climate Change. The group recommended that India use “home-grown” 700 MWe heavy water reactors for its nuclear expansion program for the time being.
Nuclear Power Plants in India UPSC
- Nuclear energy ranks after thermal, hydroelectric, and renewable energy sources as India’s fifth-largest source of electricity.
- India now operates 22 nuclear power reactors in 7 states with a total installed capacity of 6780 MegaWatts of electricity (MWe).
- Four light water reactors and 18 PHWRs make up the total number of reactors (LWRs).
- The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, or NPCIL, is an Indian government-owned corporation with headquarters in Mumbai that is in charge of producing electricity using nuclear energy.
- The Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, is responsible for running NPCIL.
Nuclear Power Plants in India FAQs
Q) Which is India’s largest Nuclear Power Plant?
Ans. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is the India’s largest Nuclear Power Plant
Q) What are the 7 nuclear power stations in India?
Ans. 7 nuclear power stations in India are:
- Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, Tamil Nadu.
- Tarapur Nuclear Reactor, Maharashtra.
- Kalapakkam Nuclear Power Plant, Tamil Nadu.
- Narora Nuclear Reactor, Uttar Pradesh.
Q) What is the biggest Nuclear Power Plant in India?
Ans. Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (or Kudankulam NPP or KKNPP) is the largest nuclear power station in India, situated in Kudankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu
Q) How many nuclear reactors are there in India in 2022?
Ans. India currently has 22 operational nuclear reactors in 7 nuclear power plants with an installed power of 6,780 MW.
Q) Which is India’s first Nuclear Power Plant?
Ans. Tarapur Atomic Power Station (T.A.P.S.) is located in Tarapur, Palghar, India. It was the first commercial nuclear power station built in India.
Other Indian Geography Topics
Other Fundamental Geography Topics