Monday, 17 March 2025- Unit 7 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP-7) has officially joined India’s power grid, becoming the third 700 MW pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) designed and built in India to do so.
The reactor at Rawatbhata achieved its first criticality in September and was successfully connected to the northern grid on Monday.
“After receiving clearance from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and completing all necessary tests, Unit 7 is now synchronised with the National Grid,” stated the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) in a video celebrating the accomplishment.
Once connected, reactors go through power ascension testing. This stage gradually increases their output, with approval from the regulator, until they reach full operating capacity. After this, the unit moves into commercial service.
RAPP-7 follows Kakrapar Units 3 and 4 in India’s series of 700 MWe PHWRs. In this fleet, Kakrapar Unit 3 achieved criticality in July 2020, joined the grid in January 2021 and began commercial operations in July 2023.
Rawatbhata site in Rajasthan
Similarly, Kakrapar Unit 4 reached criticality in December 2023, was connected to the grid by February, and started commercial operations in March 2024.
“NPCIL has perfected the process of building and operating these reactors,” the company noted.
A second reactor, RAPP-8, is also under construction at the Rawatbhata site. Once completed, it will join the facility’s six operational PHWRs, which have a combined capacity of 1180 MW. NPCIL expects RAPP-8 to begin operations in 2025-26.
The government has also approved constructing more than 700 MWe reactors using a “fleet mode” approach. Future sites include Kaiga in Karnataka, Gorakhpur in Haryana, Chutka in Madhya Pradesh, and Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan.
Earlier this year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman shared plans to develop 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047 as part of India’s energy transition strategy. These goals include launching small modular reactors designed in India by 2033 and updating laws to encourage private companies to invest in nuclear energy projects.
