Tarapur nuclear power plant 3
Gross capacity
540MW
Tarapur nuclear power plant 3 is a pressurised heavy water reactor unit at Tarapur nuclear power plant in India rated at 540 MW gross. It is operating. Commercial operation began 18 Aug 2006.
Specification
| Reactor type | Pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) |
|---|---|
| Model | Horizontal Pressure Tube type |
| Size class | Large |
| Coolant | Heavy water |
| Moderator | Heavy water |
| Gross capacity | 540MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 490MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 502MW |
| Thermal output | 1,730MWt |
| Typical enrichment | Natural uranium, 0.71% U-235 |
Ownership & location
| Site | Tarapur nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | 3 |
| Country | India |
| Owner | Nuclear Power Corporation Of India Ltd100% |
| Operator | Nuclear Power Corporation Of India |
| Coordinates | 19.8294, 72.6617 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Natural uranium dioxide bundles
Enrichment
Natural uranium, 0.71% U-235 no enrichment required
Who makes this assembly
- BWX Technologies CANDU fuel bundles, natural uranium
- Cameco Corporation CANDU fuel bundles, natural uranium
- China North Nuclear Fuel Company CANDU fuel bundles
- KEPCO Nuclear Fuel CANDU fuel bundles
- Nuclear Power Corporation of India PHWR fuel bundles, natural uranium
Upstream
This unit runs on natural uranium, so its fuel chain has no enrichment step at all: mine → mill → conversion → fabrication. That is the shortest fuel chain of any commercial reactor type, and it makes the operator independent of the four organisations that control enrichment worldwide.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units —
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 12 May 2000Construction start
- 21 May 2006First criticality
- 15 Jun 2006Grid connection
- 18 Aug 2006Commercial operation
Other units at Tarapur nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Tarapur nuclear power plant 1 | 160 | |
| Tarapur nuclear power plant 2 | Mothballed | 160 |
| Tarapur nuclear power plant 4 | 540 | |
| Tarapur nuclear power plant 5 | Announced | 200 |
| Tarapur nuclear power plant 6 | Announced | 55 |
Other Horizontal Pressure Tube type units
22 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiga nuclear power plant 1 | India | 220 | |
| Kaiga nuclear power plant 2 | India | 220 | |
| Kaiga nuclear power plant 3 | India | 220 | |
| Kaiga nuclear power plant 4 | India | 220 | |
| Kakrapar nuclear power plant 1 | India | 220 | |
| Kakrapar nuclear power plant 2 | India | 220 | |
| Madras nuclear power plant 2 | India | 220 | |
| Narora nuclear power plant 1 | India | 220 | |
| Narora nuclear power plant 2 | India | 220 | |
| Rajasthan nuclear power plant 2 | India | 200 | |
| Rajasthan nuclear power plant 3 | India | 220 | |
| Rajasthan nuclear power plant 4 | India | 220 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release — CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2024-05-17
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) — CC BY-SA 4.0 — linked, not quoted