20 new nuclear power plants to be commissioned in country by 2031: minister

New Delhi: India plans to commission 20 nuclear power plants by 2031, adding nearly 15,000 MW in power generating capacity, the government told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

The first of these 20 nuclear power plants, a 700 MW unit, is expected to be commissioned in 2023 at Kakrapar in Gujarat, which already has three atomic power generating units operational.

According to a written reply by Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh, the 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam is likely to be operational in 2024, followed by two 1,000 MW units at Kudankulam in 2025.

Two 700 MW units at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan are likely to be completed by 2026, while another two 1,000 MW units are likely to be completed at Kudankulam by 2027, he said.

Two 700 MW units are expected to be completed at Gorakhpur in Haryana by 2029, the minister said listing out details of projects under consideration.

In addition, government had accorded administrative approvals and financial sanctions for building 10 atomic power units of 700 MW each at Gorakhpur, Haryana (units 3&4), Kaiga, Karnataka (units 5&6), Chutka, Madhya Pradesh (units 1&2) and four units at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan.

These 10 nuclear power units are likely to be completed progressively by 2031, Singh said.

In a written reply to a separate question, Singh said the Kundankulam Nuclear Power Project (units 1&2) had contributed 48,382 Million Units of electricity to the national grid between 2017-18 and 2021-22.

The minister said the total number of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited employees at present at Kudankulam site (KKNPP Units 1 to 6) was 1,257.

Singh said of these, 810 employees are domiciles of Tamil Nadu.