NPCIL reconnects Tarapur Atomic Power Station's Unit-1 to power grid

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has announced the successful reconnection of Tarapur Atomic Power Station's Unit-1 (TAPS-1) to the electricity grid following a landmark life-extension programme.

The achievement marks a major milestone for the country's oldest nuclear facility, which has undergone extensive renovation and modernisation to ensure long-term operational reliability, the NPCIL said on Monday.

An official release issued by the NPCIL said the life-extension activities were executed under "stringent regulatory oversight" and align with global nuclear safety standards.

"The successful completion of such complex activities in this reactor type reflects NPCIL's engineering excellence and strong Renovation and Modernisation capability," it said, noting that TAPS-1 and its twin Unit-2 are currently the oldest reactors in operation globally.

 

The comprehensive upgrade involved high-end engineering interventions to enhance safety margins.

The NPCIL also confirmed that similar renovation activities for Unit-2 are in an "advanced stage of completion." The second unit is expected to be reconnected to the grid shortly.

Commissioned in 1969, TAPS-1 and 2 were Asia's first nuclear power reactors outside the erstwhile Soviet Union. Over more than five decades of service, the twin units have: Generated over 1,00,000 million units of clean electricity, the statement said.