The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) has generated 32,455 MU (million units) of electricity in the year ended March 31, 2012.
This is a 22.5 per cent increase as compared to the previous year’s 26,473 MU, NPCIL said in a statement.
Currently, NPCIL operates 19 nuclear power reactors in the country.
NPCIL said the turnover for FY 12 has increased to Rs 7,500 crore from Rs 6,000 crore logged last year.
The overall average availability factor of the plants continued to be high at 91 per cent.
The average capacity factor (CF — the ratio of actual output to potential output) for the nine reactors, of the 19 in operation, fuelled with imported uranium recorded an all-time high at 97 per cent. The overall average capacity factor for NPCIL reactors was 79 per cent, against the target of 66 per cent.
Tarapur Atomic Power Station unit-3 (TAPS-3), 540 MW Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) and forerunner of the indigenous 700 MW, achieved a record of continuous operation for 522 days, thus joining the fleet of 10 nuclear power reactors which have operated continuously for over one year.
NPCIL said the safety performance of Indian reactors continued to be impeccable over 350 reactor-years of operation. The safety review post-Fukushima of the existing operating nuclear power reactors and the reactors under construction, found them to be safe from extreme natural events such as earthquake and tsunami.
The hot run for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project units-1 was completed in July 2011. The unit is being made ready for an early start-up with the completion of fuel loading procedures. Unit-2 would closely follow unit-1.
Construction activities at new projects was progressing as planned. The first pour of concrete (FPC) was achieved for 2x700 MW PHWRs at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP-7&8) in July 2011, while construction work was as scheduled for another pair of 700 MW PHWRs at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Project (KAPP-3&4).
NPCIL’s current installed capacity of 4,680 MW will touch 9,580 MW by the end of 2017 on the progressive completion of reactors under construction.
NPCIL has planned the launch of about 17,000 MW capacity in the current Plan (2012-2017) by setting up 10 PHWRS of 700 MW each and 10 Light Water Reactors (LWRs) of 1,000 MW each based on international cooperation.