India plans to commission 20 N-power plants by 2031

India plans to commission 20 nuclear power plants by 2031, adding nearly 15,000 MW of power generating capacity, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha this week. The first of the plants, a 700 MW unit, is expected to be commissioned in 2023 at Kakrapar in Gujarat, which already has three operational atomic power generating units. The 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor at Kalpakkam is likely to be operational in 2024, followed by two 1,000 MW units at Kudankulam in 2025. Two 700 MW units at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan are likely to be completed by 2026, while another two 1,000 MW units are likely to be completed at Kudankulam by 2027. Two 700 MW units are expected to be completed at Gorakhpur in Haryana by 2029. In addition, the government has accorded administrative approvals and financial sanctions for building 10 atomic power units of 700 MW each at Gorakhpur, Haryana; Kaiga, Karnataka; Chutka, Madhya Pradesh; and four units at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan. These 10 nuclear power units are likely to be completed progressively by 2031, Singh said. In reply to a separate question, Singh said the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (units 1 and 2) had contributed 48,382 million units of electricity to the national grid between 2017-18 and 2021-22. See also: NTPC crosses 1 GW annual capacity mark in RE segmentIndian state-run power companies close to buying Lanco asset