New Delhi, March 1 The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) began construction of units five and six of the Kaiga nuclear power plant in Karnataka on Sunday by completing the first pour of concrete.
This development follows the approval from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for the first pour of concrete for the units on February 24.
In a statement, AERB chairman AK Balasubrahmanian said that the approval followed "an extensive review to ensure compliance with safety and regulatory requirements."
This paves the way for the construction of a nuclear power plant based on an approved design, safety analysis, and following the necessary quality assurance requirements, he added.
Units five and six of Kaiga are both 700 MW Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), which use heavy water, a chemically different form of water, to cool and control the nuclear reactions.
The Kaiga nuclear power plant currently has four 220 MWe units in operation, with a total installed capacity of 880 MW, which will increase to 2,280 MW upon the completion of the new units.
Unlike Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) and Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), which use enriched uranium as fuel, PHWRs use naturally occurring uranium as fuel.
The new units of Kaiga are similar in design to units three and four of Gujarat's Kakrapar Atomic Power Station, which were licensed by AERB for regular operation in July last year.
"The expansion of the Kaiga site reflects NPCIL's commitment to providing clean power to meet the country's Viksit Bharat and Net Zero goals, while upholding the highest standards of nuclear safety and environmental stewardship," an official said.