Two more power units to be added to Tarapur Atomic Plant

Two more nuclear power units with an installed capacity of 1,000 mega watts is expected to be added to the Tarapur Atomic Power plant here, Palghar MP Chintaman Wanga said today.
There are plans to install two more units to the existing four in TAPS, Wanga told PTI without specifying the time-frame for the same.
The two new plants would generate a total of 1,000 mega watt power and the survey for this addition is already underway, he said.
NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India), which operates the facility, however remained tight-lipped about the expansion programme.
The Tarapur Power plant which started operations way back in 1969 with two units (No 1 and 2) having an installed capacity of 210 MW each but could generate only 160 MW of power in each of the units later due to technical difficulties.

In 2005, two more plants based on Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor were commissioned with the capacity of 540 MW each. With this the total capacity of power generation presently in all four units totals upto 1,400 MWs.

The then project director SK Jain had indicated that there was a proposal to set up two more units in addition to the existing four units and increase power generation.
NPCL was of the opinion that there was ample space available for expansion and the additional two units could be very well set up in the area itself taking into account the demand for more power in Maharashtra and country.

However, rehabilitation of the project-affected for Units 3 and 4 is still not complete and the dispute is pending in the High Court.
Wanga confirmed that the spade work for the expansion has already begun.