Which Is The First Nuclear Center In India?
The Tarapur Atomic Power Station (T.A.P.S.) is India’s first commercial nuclear power station. It is, in fact, the oldest commercially operating nuclear power plant in the world.
Where Is India’s First Nuclear Center Located?
The T.A.P.S. is located in the Tarapur census town in the Palghar district in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
When Was The First Nuclear Center In India Established?
The T.A.P.S. initially started operating commercially on October 28, 1969, with two boiling water reactor units. The units were established as part of the 1963 123 Agreement between India, the IAEA, and the United States. GE and Bechtel built the nuclear power station for the Department of Atomic Energy. The two-reactor unites initially started with a power of 210 MW of electricity each. However, the capacity was later reduced to 160 MW of electricity due to technical difficulties. More recently, the T.A.P.S. has been further empowered with the addition of two pressurized heavy water reactor units built by Gammon India and L&T. Each of these units has a capacity of 540 MW of electricity. The units 3 and 4 were brought into commercial operation on August 18, 2006, and September 12, 2005, respectively.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India operates the facility. A residential complex built nearby houses the employees of T.A.P.S.
Safety Concerns Associated With India’s First Nuclear Center
There is great controversy regarding the operation of the boiling water reactors 1 and 2 at the T.A.P.S. According to a section of experts, the reactors have already exceeded their design lives and need to be decommissioned immediately to prevent a future possible disaster. Seismic safety at Tarapur has also been evaluated and several shortcomings were detected by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) in 2007. Some measures have, however, been adopted to heighten the safety of India’s first nuclear center.
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