Kaiga Atomic Power Station

Kaiga Generating Station is a nuclear power generating station situated at Kaiga, near the river Kali, in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. The plant has been in operation since March 2000 and is operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India.

Kaiga Generating Station
Map
CountryIndia
Coordinates14°51′55.16″N 74°26′22.71″E / 14.8653222°N 74.4396417°E / 14.8653222; 74.4396417
StatusOperational
Construction began1989
Commission date16 November 2000
OwnerNPCIL
OperatorNPCIL
Nuclear power station
Reactors6
Reactor typeUnits 1,2,3 & 4: IPHWR-220
Units 5 & 6: IPHWR-700
Reactor supplierNPCIL/BARC
Cooling sourceKadra Dam, Kali River
Power generation
Units operational4 x 220 MW
Nameplate capacity880 MW
Capacity factor92.02% (2020-21)[1]
Annual net output7094 GW.h (2020-21)[1]
External links
Websitewww.npcil.nic.in/main/ProjectOperationDisplay.aspx?ReactorID=76

It has four units. The fourth unit went critical on 27 November 2010.[2] The two oldest units comprise the west half of the site and the two newer units are adjoining the east side of the site. The older four units are small-sized pressurized heavy water reactors of 220 MW gross.

History

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On 27 November 2010 the Kaiga Generating Station unit 4 of 220 MW capacity became operational.[3]

On 19 January 2011, unit 4 with 220 MW capacity was connected to the southern power grid at 01:56 hours. With this, the total capacity rose to 880 MW gross making it the third largest in India after Tarapur (1400 MW) and Rawatbhata (1180 MW). The unit, fueled by indigenous uranium, will supply electricity to Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.[4]

In December 2018, it got the distinction of setting a world record of continuous operation among all nuclear power plants. As on 10 December 2018, KGS-1, which was synchronized to India's Southern grid on 13 May 2016, continues to operate for a record number of 962 days. Previous record of continuous operation was held by Unit 8 of Heysham II, which operated from 18 February 2014 to 15 September 2016 for a record number of 940 days.[5][6]

Two IPHWR units, each with a 700 MW capacity, are under construction at this location.[7] As of February 2017 pre-project activities have begun for them and if everything goes as planned the first of the two will become critical around 2024–25.[8]

Units

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Phase Unit
No.
Reactor Status Capacity in MWe Construction began First criticality Grid Connection Commercial operation Closure Notes
Type Model Net Gross
I 1 PHWR IPHWR-220 Operational 202 220 1 September 1989 26 September 2000 12 October 2000 16 November 2000 [9]
2 PHWR IPHWR-220 Operational 202 220 1 December 1989 24 September 1999 2 December 1999 16 March 2000 [10]
II 3 PHWR IPHWR-220 Operational 202 220 30 March 2002 26 February 2007 11 April 2007 6 May 2007 [11]
4 PHWR IPHWR-220 Operational 202 220 10 May 2002 27 November 2010 19 January 2011 20 January 2011 [12]
III 5 PHWR IPHWR-700 Under construction 630 700 2020 (2026) [13][14]
6 PHWR IPHWR-700 Under construction 630 700 2020 (2026) [13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Monthly Genration Reports Actual for Apr-2021 : Central Sector Nuclear" (PDF). National Power Portal. Central Electricity Authority. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Front Page : Kaiga-4 achieves criticality". The Hindu. 28 November 2010. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  3. ^ Hegde, Radha (27 November 2010). "Kaiga Atomic Power Plant Unit 4 Starts". abclive.in. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  4. ^ "India's 20th nuclear reactor connected to power grid". The Times of India. 19 January 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  5. ^ "K'taka nuclear power plant second best in world for continuous operation". The News Minute. 7 November 2018. Archived from the original on 7 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Indian-Designed Nuclear Reactor Breaks Record for Continuous Operation". POWER Magazine. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Centre's nod for units 5, 6 at Kaiga nuclear station". The Hindu. 12 June 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  8. ^ Ray, Kalyan (13 February 2017). "Kaiga's 700 MWe units to be delayed; first one may become critical in 2024". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  9. ^ "Nuclear Power Reactor Details - Kaiga-1". Power Reactor Information System. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  10. ^ "Nuclear Power Reactor Details - Kaiga-2". PRIS. (IAEA). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Nuclear Power Reactor Details - Kaiga-3". Power Reactor Information System. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Nuclear Power Reactor Details - Kaiga-4". Power Reactor Information System. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Retrieved 13 February 2020.
  13. ^ a b "Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant Expansion". Ns Energy. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  14. ^ "Excavation begins at NPCIL's Kaiga 5&6 Project, to increase capacity of the atomic power station to 2280 MW". PIB (Press release). 22 April 2022.
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