18 Apr (NucNet): Unit three of the Kaiga nuclear power plant in south-west India has been connected to the grid, state operator the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) has said.
NPCIL said the 202-megawatt (MW) pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) was connected to the grid on 14 April 2007. The unit was first connected to the grid on 11 April 2007 and then shut down again so further tests could be carried out.
The unit is undergoing mandatory testing and may have to shut down again, NPCIL said. The unit will be increased to full power once all tests have been completed.
Construction of the unit began in March 2002 and it achieved criticality on 27 February 2007.
Units one and two at the Kaiga site – also 202-MW PHWRs – have been in commercial operation since 2000 and 1999 respectively.
Unit four, another 202-MW PHWR, is “at an advanced stage of construction” and expected to be connected to the grid later this year, said NPCIL.
Kaiga-3 is India’s 17th nuclear power unit and when it begins commercial operation will bring the country’s total installed nuclear electricity generating capacity from 3,900 MW to 4,120 MW.
NPCIL said five more units are under construction and are expected to be connected to the grid during the next two years.
India’s prime minister Manmohan Singh has said the country could increase its total installed nuclear electricity-generating capacity to as much as 40,000 MW in the next decade.
