Multiple milestones for India's nuclear projects

The start of geotechnical investigations is a significant pre-project milestone in the development of the next two Indian-designed pressurised heavy water reactors at the Kakrapar site in Gujarat, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) said.

The investigations will include borehole drilling, geophysical surveys and laboratory testing to assess the site's soil and rock strata, establishing a detailed technical baseline for future civil, structural and foundation engineering works. Findings from the investigations will provide essential engineering data for the design and development of project structures, and vital insights for evaluating foundation requirements and supporting structural stability, safety and long-term operational reliability, the company added.

Kakrapar is already home to four operating nuclear reactors: units 1 and 2 are 202 MWe PHWRs which were connected to the grid in 1992 and 1995 respectively, while Kakrapar units 3 and 4 became the first of India's indigenous 700 MWe PHWRs to enter service: Kakrapar 3 achieved criticality in July 2020, and was connected to the grid in January 2021. Kakrapar 4 followed with grid connection in February 2024.

In 2017, the Indian government approved plans for the "fleet mode" construction of ten of the reactors. More reactors have been added to India's plans since then: in August, Minister of State Jitendra Singh confirmed to India's Lower House, the Lok Sabha, that five of the units are currently under construction or commissioning (this includes two units at Gorakhpur which the government classes as under construction, although the first concrete for the reactor buildings has not yet been poured). Eight units were eight under pre-project activities and four - including Kakrapar units 5 and 6 - proposed.

Supply chain record

Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), an industrial unit of India's Department of Atomic Energy, has marked the completion of its 12th set of steam generator tubes to support India's fleet-mode PHWR construction.

_{NFC held a flagging off ceremony for the 12th set of tubes (Image: NFC)}

"Previously, these tubes were imported and now, NFC has emerged as a single Indian supplier of these critical tubes for indigenous nuclear applications," NFC said. 

The company said it has also succeeded in reducing the cycle time for supply of the tubes thanks to improvements in productivity, recovery and quality. Initially, the cycle took 181 days: the 12th set of tubes - which was supplied to NPCIL on 28 September - was manufactured in a record time of 81 days, NFC said. "This reflects NFC’s enhanced manufacturing capabilities and commitment to meeting critical delivery schedules for the Nuclear Power Programme," the company added. 

SMR milestone

The Indian government has set an ambitious target to grow nuclear capacity to at least 100 GWe by 2047. As well as indigenous PHWRs, these plans also feature Indian-designed small modular reactors (SMRs): the Bharat Small Modular Reactor, known as the BSMR-200, a 200 MWe unit based on PHWR technology; and a 55 MWe reactor, known as the SMR-55; and a 5 MWt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. The Tarapur Atomic Power Station in Maharashtra has been proposed as the site for the lead units of both the BSMR-200 and the SMR-55.

_{The Detailed Project Report was signed off by NPCIL's Raghupati Roy and BARC's Joe Mohan, in the presence of NPCIL CMD V Rajesh and BARC Director Vivek Bhasin (Image: NPCIL)}

On 1 October, NPCIL announced the release of the Detailed Project Report for the SMR-55 (Small Modular Reactor), which has been co-developed by NPCIL and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

"As a compact, pressurised water reactor (PWR) based nuclear power plant, the SMR-55 will be a true gamechanger designed to deliver safe, reliable, and uninterrupted clean energy," NPCIL said. 

The company envisages the SMR-55 being used for the electrification of remote and off-grid locations, powering energy-intensive data centres, and supporting heavy industrial applications as captive power generating stations, as well as achieving broader decarbonisation goals.