The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) has announced that the 700 MW Unit 7 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant (RAPP), located near the city of Kota in India’s Rajasthan State, has reached first criticality after receiving clearance from the Indian nuclear regulator.
RAPP-7 is India's third indigenously designed 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR), alongside Units 3 and 4 of the Kakrapar nuclear power plant in Gujarat. The Rajasthan nuclear plant is already home to five operating PHWRs with a total gross capacity of 1,080 MW. A second 700 MW PHWR (RAPP-8) is also under construction at the site and is expected to start generating power in 2025.
In June 2024, India’s Department of Atomic Energy announced plans for a 70% increase in nuclear energy capacity in the country in the next five years, with capacity expected to rise from 7.48 GW currently to 13.08 GW in 2029. India aims to build 16 indigenous 700 MW PHWRs. As of end-2023, nuclear represented only about 1.5% of India’s installed capacity and less than 3% of its power generation.
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