Tarapur Nuclear Power Plant ( Malayal. താരാപൂർ അണുവൈദ്യുതശാല , Eng. Tarapur Atomic Power Station ) is a nuclear power plant located in the city of Tarapur , Maharashtra , India . Initially, the American companies Bechtel and General Electric built and commissioned 2 BWR reactors with a capacity of 210 MW each, according to the so-called “123 Agreement” between India, the USA and the IAEA . The power of reactors 1 and 2 was subsequently reduced to 160 MW for technical reasons. Reactors 1 and 2 entered commercial operation on October 28, 1969. [1] These are the first commercial nuclear reactors in Asia. Later, L & T ( English ) and Gammon India ( English ) built and commissioned two PHWR reactors , 540 MW each. The construction took only 7 months and did not exceed the original estimate. Unit 3 was put into commercial operation on August 18, 2006, and unit 4 on September 12, 2005. [one]
| NPP Tarapur | |
|---|---|
| malayal. താരാപൂർ അണുവൈദ്യുതശാല | |
| A country |  India |
| Location | Tarapur , Maharashtra |
| Owner | Indian Atomic Energy Corporation |
| Status | Acting |
| Year of commencement of construction | 1962 year |
| Commissioning | October 28, 1969 |
| Operating organization | Indian Atomic Energy Corporation |
| Equipment specifications | |
| Number of power units | 2 x 160 MW 2 x 540 MW |
| Type of Reactors | 2 x BWR 2 x PHWR |
| Operated Reactors | four |
| On the map | |
History
With a total capacity of 1,400 MW, Tarapur NPP is the largest Indian nuclear power plant. The nuclear power plant is managed by the Indian Atomic Energy Corporation (NPCIL).
The station staff lives in a residential complex called “TAPS colony” (19.816 ° N 72.743 ° E), which is a fifteen-minute drive from Boysar , the nearest railway station. The residential complex was built for the residence of Indian and American workers by Bechtel, which built the station itself. Because of this, the residential complex has the appearance of a small American town with neat sidewalks, large houses and a club with tennis courts, a swimming pool, a grocery store, etc. Despite the fact that the Americans have long left, the complex continues to flourish.
There are three schools in the housing complex run by the Atomic Energy Education Society . The local beach is 7 kilometers from the residential complex in Chinchan .
Security
Boiling water-cooled reactors of units 1 and 2 are similar to the emergency rector of the Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant . [2] The life of the reactors and the old design raise safety concerns and, according to local authorities, the two reactors have already exceeded their design life by 16 years. The reactors were originally designed with a life of 40 years and a total electric capacity of 210 MW. But due to technical problems that arose after the launch of the reactors, their electrical power was reduced to 160 MW. Based on this, according to experts and NPP management, the specified operational life of 1 and 2 reactors as of March 2012 is 23 and 24 years, respectively.
The Tarapur NPP is awarded the highest safety award among all the electricity generating companies in India.
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Council (abbreviated AERB) evaluated the seismic safety of Tarapur 1 and 2 reactors and reported many shortcomings, after which NPCIL installed seismic sensors. [3] In 2011, the AERB formed a committee of 10 members, experts from the Indian Institute of Technology and the Indian Meteorological Department ( English ) to assess the vulnerability of Tarapur nuclear power plants to earthquakes and tsunamis. [4] A. Gopalakrishnan, a former director of AERB, said that Tarapur 1 and 2 reactors are much older than emergency reactors at Fukushima nuclear power plants and should be decommissioned immediately. [5]
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Plants Under Operation - Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (unavailable link) . Date of treatment April 20, 2015. Archived January 26, 2011.
- ↑ Fears rise in India of Fukushima-style nuclear disaster . BBC News . Date of treatment April 20, 2015.
- ↑ Atomic Energy Regulatory Board not quite subatomic . timesofindia-economictimes . Date of treatment April 20, 2015.
- ↑ AERB committee forms sub-group to carry Tarapur plant audit . Date of treatment April 20, 2015.
- ↑ Doubts raised on Tarapur nuclear plant's safety (link not available)