First indigenous nuclear reactor attains criticality at Kakrapar

After much delay, India’s first 700 MWe nuclear power reactor — commissioned at Kakrapar in Gujarat — attained criticality on Wednesday, a statement from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) said.

“The unit-3 of Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP-3 - 700 MW) achieved its first criticality (controlled sustained nuclear fission reaction) today, July 22, at 09.36 hours,” the statement said

PM congratulates

Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the scientists. In a tweet, Modi called it a shining example of Make in India and said “a trailblazer for many such future achievements”.

The reactor is the first of its kind as this 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor was indigenously designed and built by Indian scientists and engineers. The components and equipment for the reactor were manufactured by Indian industry and constructed and erected by various Indian contractors.

More next year onwards

KAPP-3 is the first among 16 such 700 MWe reactors that have been given the go-ahead by the government. NPCIL has said that seven of them are expected to be completed and attain criticality progressively from next year.

KAPP-3, for which the first concrete pour happened in November 2010, had to face inordinate delay, like all other 700 MWe reactors currently under construction, in procuring certain equipment