Unit 3 of the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) is expected to commence commercial operation by December 2022 after obtaining stage-wise regulatory clearances.
Unit-3 (KAPP-3) is India’s first 700 MWe (megawatt electric) Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) with innovative features.
KAPP-3 is located at Kakrapar Site, Gujarat, where two 220 MWe PHWRs (KAPS-1 and KAPS-2) are in operation, and another 700 MWe PHWR (KAPP-4) is under advanced stage of construction.
Unit-4 of (KAPP) has achieved physical progress of 93 per cent as of June 2022.
In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday (20 July), Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said that unit-3 is now being readied for startup and progressive power raise to full capacity in line with the regulatory clearances.
He said that, in Unit-3, modifications or improvements required based on commissioning feedback had been carried out, and their validation was also completed by hot run.
“During the unit commissioning, following synchronization with the grid, elevated temperatures were observed in certain areas of the reactor building. These have since been addressed by carrying out requisite modifications and improvements,” the Department of Atomic Energy said.