India’s first Atomic Power Station at kalpakkam, Tamilnadu completes 25 years today

India's First nuclear atomic power station: kalpakkam at Tamilnadu

India's First nuclear atomic power station: kalpakkam at Tamilnadu

The country’s first indigenously built nuclear power reactor Madras Atomic Power Station Unit-1 (MAPS-1), located at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu  will complete 25 years today. MAPS was Synchronised to the grid in the presence of late prime minister Indira Gandhi on July 23, 1983. MAPS comprises two units of 220 MW each of pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR). MAPS-1 was set up at a cost of Rs 2.4 billion ($57 million).

MAPS has supplied more than 45,000 million units (MUs) of electricity at a current tariff of Rs 1.89 per unit and earned a profit of Rs 11.2 billion so far. Tamil Nadu has a share of 330 MW out of the station capacity of 440 MW in addition to the share of other beneficiary states in the southern electricity region.

NPCIL(Nuclear Power Corporation of India LTD) said that in the recent past, MAPS-1 and MAPS-2 have undergone major renovation and modernisation and, safety upgradation and en-mass coolant channels replacements. The statement added that all NPCIL stations, including MAPS, have performed “excellently” in terms of safety, achieving over 280 reactor-years of safe and accident-free operations.

All NPCIL operations stations have secured ISO-14001 certification (Environment Management System). Presently NPCIL has 17 nuclear power units in India with a total installed capacity of 4120 MW in operation and six additional units with a total capacity of 3160 MW under construction.

About Madras Atomic Power Station:
Madras Atomic Power Station located at Kalpakkam about 80 km south of Chennai, India, is a comprehensive nuclear power production, fuel reprocessing, and waste treatment facility that includes plutonium fuel fabrication for fast breeder reactors [FBRs]. It is also India’s first fully indegenously constructed nuclear power station. It has two units of 220 MWe capacity each. The first and second units of the station went critical in 1983 and 1985 respectively. The station has reactors housed in a reactor building with double shell containment ensuring total protection even in the remotest possibility of loss of coolant accident. An Interim Storage Facility [ISF] is also located in Kalpakkam.

Country:India
Owner:Nuclear Power Corporation of India LTD.
Built:1970
Start of commercial operation:January 24, 1984

Reactors:

Reactors active:2(total 440 MW)
Reactors under construction:1(500 MW)