India’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has given its permission for the first reactor start-up at the 700 MW Unit 4 of the Kakrapar nuclear power plant, located in the Indian State of Gujarat. The unit is the second of two Indian-designed pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) being built at the site.
The AERB gave permission for the start of fuel loading at Kakrapar-4 in October 2023. Construction of the unit started in 2010. Kakrapar 3, the first Indian 700 MW PHWR unit, underwent its first approach to criticality in July 2020 and was connected to the grid in January 2021. It was declared in commercial operation in July 2023. The site also has two 202 MW PWHRs, namely Kakrapar-1 that was connected to the grid in 1992 and Kakrapar-2 in 1995.
As of end-2022, nuclear represented only about 1.5% of India’s installed capacity and 3% of its power generation. In July 2023, India’s Union Ministry of State Science & Technology has announced that the country's nuclear power capacity was set to increase from around 7 GW currently to over 22 GW by 2031.
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