RAPP-8 begins fuel loading, set to go commercial this fiscal

NEW DELHI: NPCIL has begun initial fuel loading at Unit-8 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP-7&8), bringing the 700-MWe indigenous nuclear reactor closer to commissioning. The unit is expected to start commercial operations during the current financial year.Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) said the fuel loading began at 3:18pm on Sept 19 at the Rawatbhata site in Rajasthan after it secured clearance from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and completed the prescribed pre-commissioning requirements.The permission followed safety evaluations, system integrity checks and a review of site readiness, NPCIL said.RAPP-7&8 comprises two indigenous 700-MWe pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs). The next major milestone for Unit-8 will be the first approach to criticality (FAC), which marks the start of a controlled fission chain reaction. This will be followed by the commencement of power generation.RAPP-8 is the fourth reactor in a series of 16 indigenous 700-MWe PHWRs being set up in the country. KAPS-3 and KAPS-4 at Kakrapar in Gujarat, the first two reactors in the series, began commercial operations in 2023-24. RAPP-7 followed in April 2025.NPCIL said the latest milestone would strengthen the standardisation of the 700-MWe PHWR design and support its continued deployment in fleet mode.The company currently operates 24 nuclear reactors with a combined installed capacity of 8.8 GWe. Another 17 reactors, with a total capacity of around 13 GWe, are at various stages of implementation.NPCIL is planning additional reactors and aims to contribute more than half of the 100-GWe nuclear power capacity envisaged by the govt by 2047.