Fuel Loading Begins at Rajasthan's 700 MWe Nuclear Reactor

New Delhi, Aug 2 (PTI) India's nuclear operator on Friday said it has started fuelling the third home-built 700 MWe nuclear reactor, which is expected to start commercial operations later this year.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said the initial fuel loading process has begun at Unit-7 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) at Rawatbhata on Thursday.

The NPCIL has already commissioned two 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors at Kakrapar in Gujarat.

The RAPP Unit-7 is part of the two 700 MWe PHWRs being built at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan.

"The Initial Fuel Loading (IFL) process was started after receipt of permission from the regulatory authority, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and completion of all pre-requisites. The permission was issued by the AERB after stringent safety and security reviews," the NPCIL said in a statement.

The Initial Fuel Loading will be followed by First Approach to Criticality, which is the commencement of fission chain reaction, and subsequent start of power generation.

"The unit is expected to commence commercial operation in the current year," the NPCIL said.

"RAPP-8 is also closely following RAPP-7 and is expected to come on line next year," it said.

RAPP-7 is the third in the series of 16 indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) being set up in the country.

These indigenous reactors have advanced safety features and are among the safest reactors in the world, the NPCIL said.