Rajasthan Atomic Power Station

Rajasthan Atomic Power Station
Location of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station in India
Country	India
Coordinates	24°52′20″N 75°36′50″E / 24.87222°N 75.61389°ECoordinates: 24°52′20″N 75°36′50″E / 24.87222°N 75.61389°E
Construction began	1963
Commission date	16 December 1973
Operator(s)	Nuclear Power Corporation of India LTD.
Power generation
Units operational	1 x 100 MWe 1 x 200 MWe 4 x 220 MWe
Units under const.	2 x 700 MWe
Annual generation	3,140 MW
Website Nuclear Power Corporation of India

The Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS; also Rajasthan Atomic Power Project - RAPP) is located at Rawatbhata in the state of Rajasthan, India.

History

The construction on Douglas Point reactor in Canada was begun in 1961 and duplicate station at Rajasthan was committed in 1963. The Rajasthan Power Project (RAPP) included two 220 MWe CANDU reactors built in the state of Rajasthan and put into service, respectively, in 1973 and 1981. Indian tradesmen and professional engineers came to be trained at Douglas Point. After the nuclear bomb test explosion in 1973 the nuclear trade links between Canada and India were curtailed and the second RAPP reactor was completed by the Indians with no Canadian assistance.

In the context of the Indian atomic program, two more PHWR with an output of 220 MW each were built. They cost around 570 million dollars. RAPS-3 became critical on 24 December 1999, RAPS-4 became critical on 3 November 2000. Commercial operations began on 1 June 2000 for unit 3, and on 23 December 2000 for unit 4.

Two more reactors (RAPS-5 and RAPS-6) with 220 MWe have also been built, with unit 5 beginning commercial operation on 4 February 2010, and unit 6 on 31 March 2010.^[1]

Two of the new Indian-designed 700 MWe series of reactor (RAPP-7 and RAPP-8) are under construction at Rajasthan.

In November 2012, International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) intensively audited over several weeks two reactors at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station for safety. It has concluded that the reactors are among the best in the world, the indigenously made 220 MW atomic plants can withstand a Fukushima type of accident, even suggesting that the "safety culture is strong in India" and that India emerged a winner with a high global safety rank.^[2]

First concrete for unit 7 was poured on 18 July 2011,^[3] with commercial operation expected by 2016. The two reactors will cost an estimated Rs 123.2 billion (US$2.6 billion).^[4]

2006 meteorite

On 29 August 2006, a 90% iron meteorite weighing 6.8 kilograms fell in Kanvarpura village, near the power station. The Deputy Director-General (western region) of the Geological Survey of India, R.S. Goyal, said that devastation on an "unimaginable scale" would have ensued had the object struck the station.^[5]

2012 nuclear leak

In June 2012, 38 workers were exposed to tritium when a welding operation went wrong inside the protected environment of the reactor.^[6]

Units

Unit	Type	Net MW	Gross MW	Construction	Date of Criticality	Commercial operation	Shut down
Rajasthan−1	CANDU	90 MW	100 MW	01.08.1965 – 30.11.1972	11.08.1973	16.12.1973	Oct 2014
Rajasthan−2	PHWR	187 MW	200 MW	01.04.1968 – 01.11.1980	May 1981	01.04.1981
Rajasthan−3	PHWR	202 MW	220 MW	01.02.1990 – 10.03.2000		01.06.2000
Rajasthan−4	PHWR	202 MW	220 MW	01.10.1990 – 17.11.2000		23.12.2000
Rajasthan−5	PHWR	202 MW	220 MW	18.09.2002 –	24.11.2009 [7]	04.02.2010 [1]
Rajasthan−6	PHWR	202 MW	220 MW	20.01.2003 –		31.03.2010 [1]
Rajasthan−7	PHWR	630 MW	700 MW	18.07.2011 [8]
Rajasthan−8	PHWR	630 MW	700 MW	Dec.2011

See also

• Nuclear power in India

References

1. "Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS)". Plants Under Operation. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). Retrieved 18 July 2011.
2. UN's nuclear watchdog: Rajasthan reactors are among world's safest. NDTV.com (2012-11-15). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
3. "India begins construction of 25th nuclear plant". The Hindu. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
4. "Construction starts on new Rajasthan units". World Nuclear News. World Nuclear Association (WNA). 18 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
5. Meteorite fall in Rajasthan village The Hindu, 2006-09-06.
6. Radiation scare in Rajasthan, workers exposed. NDTV.com (2012-06-30). Retrieved on 2013-12-06.
7. "RAPS’ fifth nuclear reactor attains criticality". The Hindu. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 25 November 2009.
8. "Construction of RAPP-7&8 Begins – First Pour of Concrete Achieved" (PDF) (Press release). NPCIL. 18 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2011.

External links

• Juggernaut, a 1968 Canadian documentary on the delivery of the plant's calandria.