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Operational License for Indigenous 700 MWe PHWRs

  • 08 Jul 2025
  • 2 min read

Source: TH 

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) granted an operation licence for two indigenously developed (KAPS-3 and KAPS-4) 700 MWe (Megawatts electric) Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat. 

  • AERB, after 15 years of rigorous multi-tiered safety reviews, granted a 5-year Licence for Operation to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). 
    • This marks a significant boost to NPCIL’s plan of building 10 more PHWRs of 700 MWe. 
    • NPCIL owns and operates all nuclear power plants in India, except PFBR variants (owned by The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research). 
  • India currently operates 15 PHWRs of 220 MWe, 2 PHWRs of 540 MWe, and a 700 MWe reactor at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan. 
  • PHWRs are a type of nuclear reactor that use heavy water (deuterium oxide, D₂O) as both a coolant and moderator, while natural or slightly enriched uranium serves as fuel. 
  • AERB is India's national regulatory authority responsible for ensuring the safe use of nuclear energy and radiation technologies in the country. 
    • Established in 1983 under the Atomic Energy Act,1962, AERB functions as an independent body under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). 
  • India’s nuclear power capacity is currently 8.18 GW (2024), with targets set at 22.48 GW by 2031–32 and 100 GW by 2047. 

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Read More: India’s Nuclear Programme 
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