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Third Tarapur nuclear reactor connected to the grid
NEW DELHI: The third unit of the Tarapur Atomic Power Project (TAPP-3), which will increase the country's nuclear power generation by one-sixth, is expected to be "declared commercial" six months ahead of schedule, said official sources. The 540 mega-watt electrical (MWe) unit was synchronised with the grid earlier this month. The time taken between criticality and synchronisation was one-fourth of that taken by its predecessor, Unit-4, which has given nuclear scientists the confidence of compressing the time schedule for generating commercial power from TAPP-3.Mandatory tests are being conducted on the unit and it will supply electricity to the grid known as "infirm power". During this period, the power of the unit will need to be varied and the unit may even be required to be shut down. The power of the unit will subsequently be increased to full power based on test results and authorisation by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. Once the station is declared commercial, it will produce electricity in a consistent manner and supply it to the grid. "TAPP-3 is expected to be declared commercial in July this year, six months ahead of schedule," added the officials. The two units of TAPP 3 and 4, of 540 MWe each, are the country's largest and most advanced nuclear power units. They are fully indigenous and have been designed and constructed by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), a public sector undertaking under the Department of Energy. TAPP 3 and 4 belong to the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor family, which uses natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as moderator and coolant. The gestation period between building and commissioning is comparable to international benchmarks. The experience gained from these two units would be utilised to build units of size of 700 MWe. Four such units, two each at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan and Kakrapar in Gujarat are proposed to be built. The NPCIL operates 15 nuclear plants with an aggregate capacity of 3360 MWe and this will increase to 3900 MWe once the 16th unit - TAPP-3 - is declared commercial. The Government plans to achieve an installed nuclear power capacity of 20,000 MWe by 2020 based on indigenous and imported fuels. Posted by: john 2006-06-19 |
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