Tarapur 1 returns to service after refurbishment

"After successful refurbishment and life-extension, Tarapur Atomic Power Station Unit-1 (TAPS-1) has been synchronised to the National Grid for the first time in its second innings and has achieved its rated power," Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) announced today. "TAPS-1 now returns with renewed strength, supported by upgraded safety systems, modernised equipment, and NPCIL's unwavering commitment to safety," it added.

The 160 MWe (gross) boiling water reactor (BWR) reached criticality on 30 December.

Tarapur 1 is one of two BWR units commissioned at the site in Maharashtra in 1969 as India's first commercial nuclear power plant. Built by GE on a turnkey contract, the units were originally rated at 200 MWe but were subsequently downrated to 160 MWe (gross). They underwent six months' refurbishment over 2005-06, but have both been off line since 2020 for major refurbishment work, including the complete replacement of the primary recirculation piping. Indian company CORE Energy was contracted by NPCIL to carry out the replacement of the primary recirculation piping in both units.

As well as the BWR units, the Tarapur Atomic Power Station site is home to two operating Indian-designed pressurised heavy water reactors, Tarapur 3 and 4, connected to the grid in 2005 and 2006, respectively. It has also been proposed as the site for the construction of the lead units of two Indian-designed small modular reactors: the BSMR-200, a 200 MWe reactor based on pressurised water reactor technology, and the 55 MWe SMR-55.