India’s first indigenous 700 MWe nuclear plant starts operations in full capacity, “Another milestone” says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the starting of operations at India’s first indigenously developed 700-megawatt electric (MWe) nuclear power reactor at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP) in Gujarat on August 31, and called it “another milestone” in the country’s progress.

Taking to social media platform, X, PM Modi said, “India achieves another milestone. The first largest indigenous 700 MWe Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3 in Gujarat starts operations at full capacity. Congratulations to our scientists and engineers.”

India achieves another milestone.

The first largest indigenous 700 MWe Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3 in Gujarat starts operations at full capacity.

Congratulations to our scientists and engineers.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 31, 2023

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also congratulated the scientists and engineers involved in the project.

India's power acquires a new dimension today as our largest indigenous 700 MWe Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3 in Gujarat starts operations at full capacity. It is a firm step towards attaining PM @narendramodi Ji's vision of self-sufficiency in power production.

My…

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) August 31, 2023

“India’s power acquires a new dimension today as our largest indigenous 700 MWe Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant Unit-3 in Gujarat starts operations at full capacity. It is a firm step towards attaining PM @narendramodi Ji’s vision of self-sufficiency in power production. My heartfelt congratulations to the scientists and engineers involved in the project,” Amit Shah wrote on X.

For India, the operationalisation of its first 700MWe reactor is a significant scale up in technology, both in terms of the optimisation of its PHWR design the new 700MWe unit addresses the excess thermal margins (thermal margin refers to the extent to which the operating temperature of the reactor is below its maximum operating temperature) — and also marks an improvement in the economies-of-scale, without significant design changes to the 540 MWe reactor.

(with inputs from ANI)