NPCIL Begins Fuel Loading At RAPP Unit 8 In Major Nuclear Milestone

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Prime Highlights-

  • NPCIL initiates fuel loading at RAPP Unit 8, advancing India’s indigenous 700 MWe nuclear reactor programme.
  • The reactor is set to begin commercial operation within the current financial year, boosting nuclear capacity.

Key Facts-

  • Atomic Energy Regulatory Board cleared fuel loading after safety and site readiness reviews.
  • Unit 8 marks the fourth reactor in India’s fleet of sixteen indigenous PHWRs.

Background-

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited has started loading fuel into Unit 8 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project in Rawatbhata, a significant milestone on the path to commissioning the 700 megawatt indigenous pressurised heavy water reactor.

The state-run company expects the unit to begin commercial operation within the current financial year, with the shift from fuel loading to full operation typically spanning six to eight months.

Senior NPCIL officials, including the Director (Operations), the Director (Projects) and the Site Director for the Rawatbhata Rajasthan site, attended the fuel loading milestone alongside station directors. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board granted permission for the process after conducting safety evaluations, system integrity audits and site readiness reviews.

NPCIL stated that Unit 8 has now entered a critical phase of its commissioning journey, with the First Approach to Criticality expected next, followed by the start of power generation.

Unit 8 ranks as the fourth reactor built under India’s fleet of sixteen indigenous 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors. Two earlier units at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarat and one additional unit at Rajasthan Atomic Power Project have already achieved commercial operation, reinforcing the design’s standardisation across the programme.

Two more reactors are set to rise at the same Rawatbhata site, with geotechnical investigations already underway there. NPCIL is also building eight other reactors across Haryana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, showing the scale of the country’s indigenous nuclear power ambitions.