NPCIL begins groundwork for 1.4 GW nuclear project in Rajasthan- Moneycontrol.com

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Geotechnical investigations for the proposed Rajasthan Atomic Power Project Units 9 and 10 have begun at the site, marking an early stage of development for the 1.4 GW project.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) has begun groundwork for two more 700 MW nuclear reactors at its Rawatbhata site in Rajasthan, as the state-run company expands its indigenous reactor fleet as part of its plan to raise installed nuclear capacity to 21.98 GW by 2031-32 from the current 8.78 GW.

Geotechnical investigations for the proposed Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) Units 9 and 10 have begun at the site, marking an early stage of development for the 1.4 GW project.

The development comes shortly after another milestone at Rawatbhata. NPCIL began initial fuel loading at RAPP-8, a 700 MW indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), on September 19 after regulatory clearance and completion of safety and readiness checks. The reactor is expected to commence commercial operation during the current financial year.

RAPP-7, the other 700 MW unit of the project, began commercial operation in April 2025. The two units are part of India’s standardised 700 MW PHWR programme.

Rawatbhata has been a nuclear power site for more than five decades. Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) Unit 1, a 100 MW PHWR, began commercial operation in December 1973. RAPS-2, a 200 MW reactor, followed in 1981, while RAPS-3 and 4, and RAPS-5 and 6, are four 220 MW reactors that entered operation between 2000 and 2010. RAPS-1 is currently under long shutdown.

The newer reactors are designated RAPP, or Rajasthan Atomic Power Project, beginning with RAPP-7&8. The proposed RAPP-9&10 will therefore add to an existing cluster of reactors at the same site rather than create a new nuclear site. Moneycontrol had earlier reported, citing then-NPCIL CMD Bhuwan Chandra Pathak, that the company planned to develop large nuclear power hubs with multiple reactors at a single site, sharing infrastructure, manpower and other facilities to reduce costs.

RAPP-9&10 are part of a broader fleet of 10 indigenous 700 MW PHWRs that have received government approval and financial sanction. The fleet also includes Kaiga-5&6 in Karnataka, Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana Units 3&4, Chutka Madhya Pradesh Atomic Power Project Units 1&2 and four units at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan.

NPCIL currently operates 24 reactors with 8.78 GW capacity and is constructing seven reactors totalling 6.1 GW. It says progressive completion of these projects and the 10 fleet-mode reactors will take its installed capacity to 21.98 GW by 2031-32.

The government has set a broader target of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, making the ongoing expansion of India’s indigenous 700 MW reactor programme an important part of the longer-term nuclear build-out.

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