The government of India is planning to develop ten nuclear power stations in “fleet mode” over the next three years. According to the reports, the nuclear power plants will be built over a five-year period, starting with the first pour of concrete (FPC). The FPC will take place in 2023 at the 700 MW Kaiga nuclear power plant in Karnataka.
The FPC process, which includes excavation activities at the nuclear facility site, signals the start of nuclear power reactor construction from the pre-project stage. Orders for SS 304L lattice tubes and plates for end shields, Incoloy 800 tubes for 40 steam generators, forgings for steam generators, reactor headers, pressurisers and bleed condenser forgings are reported to have been placed for these projects. India currently has 22 nuclear reactors with a total capacity of more than 6.7 GW.
The government gave the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) permission to build ten units of locally-designed pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), each with a capacity of 700 MW, in 2017. With the goal of minimising costs and construction time, the government approved all nuclear power reactors at the same time. Uranium is used as a fuel, and heavy water is used as a moderator in PHWRs. The government’s commitment to employing clean energy in India’s energy mix was reflected in the approval.
