Overview
- NPCIL said initial fuel loading at the 700 MWe RAPP‑8 reactor at Rawatbhata began on Sunday after the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board cleared pre‑commissioning checks, moving the unit from system testing into nuclear commissioning.
- The immediate technical next steps are the first approach to criticality (FAC), followed by controlled power rise and system tests before AERB approval for commercial operation, a sequence NPCIL aims to complete in the current financial year.
- RAPP‑8 is the fourth of a planned series of 16 indigenous 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors that NPCIL is standardising to speed repeat deployment and reduce execution risk.
- NPCIL currently operates 24 reactors totaling about 8.78 GWe and has roughly 17 more (≈13 GWe) under implementation, a buildout that supports the government’s target of 100 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2047 with NPCIL supplying over half.
- Concurrent site work has started for two more Rajasthan projects, including geotechnical surveys, and the key things to watch next are the FAC outcome, power‑ascension tests, and final AERB acceptance that will clear the unit for commercial supply to the grid.