Rawatbhata nuclear facility will be ready to fuel power plants by 2022

The Rs 18,000-crore Nuclear Fuel Fabrication Facility (NFFFF) and  Zirconium  Fabrication Facility (ZFF) proposed to come up at Rawatbhata, 65 km from Kota in Chittorgarh district, will cater to  needs of the upcoming 10 units of 700 MW atomic power plant in the country. It is likely to be completed by 2022.

The Rawatbhata plant will be the second nuclear fuel facility after Hyderabad,which was built in 1971.

The foundation stone of the nuclear fuel complex at Rawatbhata was laid by the Chairman of the  Atomic Energy Commission Dr . Shekhar Basu on Saturday.  This project was cleared in 2014 by the Union Cabinet but got delayed by almost two years due to environmental clearance.

Rawatbhata is country’s  largest nuclear power generation centre with  completion of  seventh and eighth unit of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP). In Rawatbhata, six nuclear power plants are currently generating 1180 mwe of power. Two of new Indian-designed 700 mwe series of reactor (RAPP-7 and RAPP-8) would start generation soon.

“The two reactors  cost an estimated Rs 123.2 billion ($2.6 billion). Once the two  new reactors go into stream, total production from RAPS will touch 1400 MWE,” said RAPP Station Director, Vijay Kumar Jain.The Hyderabad-based Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) has already  issued notice inviting bids for the project  According to an official NFC,  experts found the predisposed site along river Chambal ideal for the fuel complex.

The official said that  the proposed facility will supply nuclear fuel bundles and reactor core components. It is a unique facility where natural and enriched uranium fuel, zirconium alloy cladding and reactor core components are manufactured under one roof. NFC symbolises the strong emphasis on self-reliance in the Indian Nuclear Power Programme. “As the number of nuclear plants in the country has increased in the past four decades, the need for setting up another NFC facility was felt. As Rawatbhata is a big hub for nuclear power generation it was felt that this could be an ideal location.

At present, NFC supplies fuel to the 19 operational power plants run by the NPC, which has 20 plants with an installed capacity of 4,800 MW.