N-power plant to be commissioned in 2015

Nuclear Power Corporation's first indigenous 700 Mega Watt Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor at Kakrapar Atomic Power Project in Gujarat is expected to be commissioned in 2015.

About 70 per cent of excavation of the site of KAPP Unit-3 at Tapi has been completed already and the first 'pour of concrete' (for laying the foundation) will take place in June this year, Executive Director, Corporate Planning S Thakur said.

The reactor will be commissioned in five years and the work on the second 700 MW plant in KAPP will begin after six months, he said.

In December last, NPCIL awarded the reactor building contract, of both Unit 3 and 4 of KAPP to infrastructure operating company Larsen & Toubro, valued at Rs 8.44 billion (Rs 844 crore).

The steam generators for both the units are being manufactured and orders have been placed for many equipments and components, and NPCIL is targeting completion of major procurement activities in the next few months, Thakur said. The cost of two 700 MW plants is Rs 115 billion (Rs 11,500 crore) and the tariff per unit has been calculated as Rs 2.80 at current prices, he said.

Simultaneously, NPCIL is also working on two more units of 700 MW in Rajasthan nuclear island at Rawatbhata and the first unit (RAPP-7) will become operational in 2016, Thakur said.