The fifth reactor of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station set a record with an uninterrupted run for 678 days till Wednesday, generating power at its full capacity of 220 MWe almost every day, R.K. Sinha, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, said.
“This remarkable achievement by RAPS-5 is a record for any nuclear power reactor in Asia,” he said.
RAPS-5, a pressurised heavy water reactor built by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd., surpassed the record set by the 160-MWe Unit 2 of the Tarapur Atomic Power Station — of 590 days from July 2009 to March 2011.
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N. Nagaich, Executive Director (Corporate Planning and Corporate Communications), NPCIL, said: “By virtue of its feat of operating continuously for 678 days, RAPS-5 now stands among the top nuclear power reactors globally for the longest continuous run. This achievement proves the country’s technological maturity in nuclear power plant operation with the highest levels of safety. So far, the NPCIL reactors have achieved a continuous operation of more than a year 15 times.”
RAPS-5, first synchronised with the grid on December 22, 2009, reached commercial operation on February 4, 2010.