Tarapur Atomic Power Station
Encyclopedia
Tarapur Atomic Power Station (T.A.P.S.) is located in Tarapur, Maharashtra
(India
). It was initially constructed with two boiling water reactor
(BWR) units of 160 MW each by Bechtel
and GE
under the 1963 123 Agreement between India, the United States
, and the International Atomic Energy Agency
. Units 1 and 2 were brought online for commercial operation on October 28, 1969. These were the first of their kind in Asia. More recently, an additional two pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) units of 540 MW each were constructed by L & T and Gammon India
, seven months ahead of schedule and well within the original cost estimates. Unit 3 was brought online for commercial operation on August 18, 2006, and unit 4 on September 12, 2005.
The residential colony now features 3 central schools run under Atomic Energy Education Society (AEES). The local beach at Chinchani is approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the colony.
s at Tarapur 1 and 2 units are similar to the reactors involved in the Fukushima I nuclear accidents. The reactors' age and old design have raised safety concerns and according one local leader, the two reactors have already been in operation for 16 years more than their design lives.
In 2007, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
(AERB) evaluated seismic safety features at Tarapur 1 and 2 and reported many shortfalls, following which NPCIL installed seismic sensors.
In 2011, AERB formed a 10 member committee, consisting of experts from Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Meteorological Department, to assess the vulnerability of the Tarapur to earthquakes and tsunamis.
Dr. A. Gopalakrishnan, former director of AERB, said that Tarapur 1 and 2 reactors are much older than the reactors involved in the Fukushima nuclear accident and argued that they should be immediately decommissioned.
Tarapur, Maharashtra
Tarapur is a census town in Thane district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is an industrial town located some 45 km north of Virar, on the Western Railway line of Mumbai Suburban Division . Tarapur can be reached from Boisar, the nearest railway station...
(India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
). It was initially constructed with two boiling water reactor
Boiling water reactor
The boiling water reactor is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor , also a type of light water nuclear reactor...
(BWR) units of 160 MW each by Bechtel
Bechtel
Bechtel Corporation is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 5th-largest privately owned company in the U.S...
and GE
Gê
Gê are the people who spoke Ge languages of the northern South American Caribbean coast and Brazil. In Brazil the Gê were found in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Bahia, Piaui, Mato Grosso, Goias, Tocantins, Maranhão, and as far south as Paraguay....
under the 1963 123 Agreement between India, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
. Units 1 and 2 were brought online for commercial operation on October 28, 1969. These were the first of their kind in Asia. More recently, an additional two pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) units of 540 MW each were constructed by L & T and Gammon India
Gammon India
Gammon India Limited is the largest civil engineering construction company in India. Headquartered in Mumbai, it was founded in 1922 by John C...
, seven months ahead of schedule and well within the original cost estimates. Unit 3 was brought online for commercial operation on August 18, 2006, and unit 4 on September 12, 2005.
History
With a total capacity of 1400 MW, Tarapur is the largest nuclear power station in India. The facility is operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). The personnel operating the power plant live in a residential complex called T. A. P. S. colony, which is a fifteen minute drive from Boisar, the nearest railway station. The residential complex was also constructed by Bechtel to house both Indian and American employees. Due to this, the residential complex had a very American small-town look, with neat sidewalks, spacious houses, a club with tennis courts, swimming pool, a commissary etc. While the original American residents have long gone, the colony continues to thrive.The residential colony now features 3 central schools run under Atomic Energy Education Society (AEES). The local beach at Chinchani is approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the colony.
Safety concerns
The boiling water reactorBoiling water reactor
The boiling water reactor is a type of light water nuclear reactor used for the generation of electrical power. It is the second most common type of electricity-generating nuclear reactor after the pressurized water reactor , also a type of light water nuclear reactor...
s at Tarapur 1 and 2 units are similar to the reactors involved in the Fukushima I nuclear accidents. The reactors' age and old design have raised safety concerns and according one local leader, the two reactors have already been in operation for 16 years more than their design lives.
In 2007, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board was constituted on November 15, 1983 by the President of India by exercising the powers conferred by Section 27 of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 to carry out certain regulatory and safety functions under the Act...
(AERB) evaluated seismic safety features at Tarapur 1 and 2 and reported many shortfalls, following which NPCIL installed seismic sensors.
In 2011, AERB formed a 10 member committee, consisting of experts from Indian Institute of Technology and Indian Meteorological Department, to assess the vulnerability of the Tarapur to earthquakes and tsunamis.
Dr. A. Gopalakrishnan, former director of AERB, said that Tarapur 1 and 2 reactors are much older than the reactors involved in the Fukushima nuclear accident and argued that they should be immediately decommissioned.
See also
- Nuclear power in IndiaNuclear power in IndiaNuclear power is the fourth-largest source of electricity in India after thermal, hydroelectric and renewable sources of electricity. As of 2010, India has 20 nuclear reactors in operation in six nuclear power plants, generating 4,780 MW while seven other reactors are under construction and...
- Jaitapur Nuclear Power ProjectJaitapur nuclear power projectJaitapur Nuclear Power Project is a proposed 9900 MW power project of Nuclear Power Corporation of India at Madban village of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra...
- Template:India nuke plant map
- List of nuclear reactors#India