Nuclear power plants in India
List of nuclear power plant in India is an important general awareness topic for UPSC, SSC, MBA , Bank PO and other competitive exams. This list includes nuclear power plant in India with their capacity. Every year in UPSC and Bank exams at least one question is asked from Nuclear power plants in India. All important points about Nuclear plants in India have been explained down below in brief. Before you mug up the list let us first understand some important points regarding nuclear power plants in India.
Nuclear Power in India
- Nuclear power is the fifth -largest source of electricity in India after thermal, hydroelectric and renewable sources of electricity. As of 2016, India has 22 nuclear reactors in operation at seven sites, having an installed capacity of 6780 MW and producing a total of 30,292.91 GWh of electricity. 11 more reactors are under construction to generate an additional 8,100 MW.
- Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is a government-owned corporation of India based in Mumbai which is responsible for the generation of nuclear power for electricity. NPCIL is administered by the Department of Atomic Energy, Govt. of India.
- Tarapur is the largest nuclear power station in India.
Important news regarding Nuclear power plants in India
- New Nuclear power plants – The Union Cabinet on May 18, 2017 has cleared the proposal of building of 10 new nuclear power plants to add 7000MW to India’s nuclear power generation capacity. These will be the indigenous 700 MW pressurised heavy water reactors.
- India and Russia signed deal for two nuclear reactors – India and Russia signed a pact for setting up the last two units of the Kundankulam nuclear power plant with Moscow’s help in Tamil Nadu.
Facts about Nuclear Energy and Nuclear power plants
- Nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms – a process called fission. This generates heat to produce steam, which is used by a turbine generator to generate electricity. Because nuclear power plants do not burn fuel, they do not produce greenhouse gas emissions. With no carbon emissions, it will remain an important clean energy resource for the future.
- Nuclear power plants operate in 31 countries. Most are in Europe, Northern America, East Asia and South Asia. France has the largest share of electricity generated by nuclear power. China has the fastest growing nuclear power program with 28 new reactors under construction.
List of Nuclear Power Plants in India
| S.No | Name of the power station | State | Operator | Total capacity |
| 1. | Tarapur Atomic Power Station | Maharashtra | NPCIL | 1,400 |
| 2. | Kakrapar Atomic Power Station | Gujarat | NPCIL | 440 |
| 3. | Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant | Tamil Nadu | NPCIL | 2,000 |
| 4. | Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant | Karnataka | NPCIL | 880 |
| 5. | Madras Atomic Power Station | Tamil Nadu | NPCIL | 440 |
| 6. | Rajasthan Atomic Power Station | Rajasthan | NPCIL | 1,180 |
| 7. | Narora Atomic Power Station | Uttar Pradesh | NPCIL | 440 |
The projects under construction are
| S.No | Power Station | State | Operator | Total capacity |
| 1. | Rajasthan Unit 7 and 8 | Rajasthan | NPCIL | 1,400 |
| 2. | Kakrapar Unit 3 and 4 | Gujarat | NPCIL | 1,400 |
| 3. | Madras (Kalpakkam) | Tamil Nadu | NPCIL | 500 |
| 4. | Kudankulam | Tamil Nadu | NPCIL | 2,000 |
The planned projects are:
| S.No | Power Station | State | Operator | Total capacity |
| 1. | Jaitapur | Maharashtra | – | 9,900 |
| 2. | Kovvada | Andhra Pradesh | – | 6,600 |
| 3. | Gorakhpur | Haryana | NPCIL | 2,800 |
| 4. | Bhimpur | Madhya Pradesh | NPCIL | 2,800 |
| 5. | Mahi Banswara | Rajasthan | NPCIL | 2,800 |
| 6. | Kaiga | Karnataka | NPCIL | 1,400 |
| 7. | Chutka | Madhya Pradesh | NPCIL | 1,400 |
| 8. | Madras | Tamil Nadu | BHAVINI | 1,200 |
| 9. | Tarapur | Maharashtra | – | 300 |
| 10. | t.b.d. (was Haripur) | West Bengal | – | 6,600 |
| 11. | t.b.d. (was Mithi Virdi) | Gujarat | – | 6,600 |
