| Tarapur Atomic Power Station (T.A.P.S.) | |
|---|---|
_near_Mumbai.jpg) Unit 3 and 4 of Tarapur Power Station | |
| Country | India |
| Location | Tarapur,Maharashtra |
| Coordinates | 19°49′44.33″N72°39′40.34″E / 19.8289806°N 72.6612056°E /19.8289806; 72.6612056 |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1961; 64 years ago (1961) |
| Commission date | 28 October 1969; 56 years ago (1969-10-28) |
| Owner | Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd |
| Operator | Nuclear Power Corporation of India |
| Nuclear power station | |
| Reactors | 4 |
| Reactor type | Units 1 & 2:BWR-1 Units 3 & 4:IPHWR-540 |
| Reactor supplier | Units 1 & 2:GE Units 3 & 4:NPCIL |
| Cooling source | Arabian Sea |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 2 × 160 MW, 2 × 540 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 1400MW |
| Capacity factor | 64.31% (2020-21)[1] |
| Annual net output | 7886GW.h (2020-21)[1] |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
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Tarapur Atomic Power Station (T.A.P.S.) is located inTarapur,Palghar, India. It was the first commercialnuclear power station built in India.[2] It is the fourth largest nuclear power plants in the country. It has 4reactors, 2BWR-1 of 160 MWe each and 2IPHWRs of 540 MWe each.
The atomic power station has experienced several safety incidents, including radioactive leaks and a major fire,[3][4] with official documents that "clearly indicate the preponderance of safety concerns even during the days of active Indo-U.S. cooperation with the Tarapur Atomic Power Station project".[5]
Tarapur Atomic Power Station was constructed initially with twoboiling water reactor (BWR) units under the 1963123 Agreement between India, the United States, and theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). It was built for theDepartment of Atomic Energy byGE andBechtel. Units 1 and 2 were brought online for commercial operation on 28 October 1969 with an initial power of 210 MW of electricity. Later on this was reduced to 160 MW due to technical difficulties.[6] These were the first of their kind in Asia.
More recently, an additional twopressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) units of 540 MW each were constructed byBHEL,L&T andGammon India, seven months ahead of schedule and well within the original cost estimates. Unit 3 was brought online for commercial operation on 18 August 2006, and unit 4 on 12 September 2005.[6]
The facility is operated by the NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India).
The personnel operating the power plant live in a residential complex called T. A. P. S. colony,19°48′58″N72°44′35″E / 19.816°N 72.743°E /19.816; 72.743 which is a fifteen-minute drive fromBoisar, 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 has a very Indian small-town look, with neat sidewalks, spacious houses, a club with tennis courts, swimming pool, a commissary etc.
In 1974 after India conducted its firstnuclear weapons test, called theSmiling Buddha, the West chose to no longer honour its agreement to supply the plant withenriched uranium.Nuclear fuel for TAPS has subsequently been delivered from France, China and Russia underIAEA safeguards.[7]
The residential colony features 3 central schools namely - Atomic Energy Central School No. 1 (AECS-1), Atomic Energy Central School No. 2 (AECS-2) and Atomic Energy Central School No. 3 (AECS-3), all running underAtomic Energy Education Society (AEES). The local beach atChinchani is approximately 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) from the colony.
| Phase | Unit No. | Reactor | Status | Capacity in MWe | Construction start | Firstcriticality | Grid Connection | Commercial operation | Closure | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Model | Net | Gross | ||||||||||
| I | 1 | BWR | BWR-1 | Operation suspended (under maintenance) | 150 | 160 | 1 October 1964 | 1 February 1969 | 1 April 1969 | 28 October 1969 | — | First commercial nuclear power reactors in India | [8] |
| 2 | BWR | BWR-1 | Operation suspended (under maintenance) | 150 | 160 | 1 October 1964 | 28 February 1969 | 5 May 1969 | 28 October 1969 | — | First commercial nuclear power reactors in India | [9] | |
| II | 3 | PHWR | IPHWR-540 | Operational | 490 | 540 | 12 May 2000 | 21 May 2006 | 15 June 2006 | 18 August 2006 | — | [10] | |
| 4 | PHWR | IPHWR-540 | Operational | 490 | 540 | 8 March 2000 | 6 March 2005 | 4 June 2005 | 12 September 2005 | — | [11] | ||
In 1980s, theBWR units faced extreme technical issues and difficulties. This led to repeated shutdowns. Finally in 1989, the gross capacity of the units was reduced to 160 MWe from the original 210 MWe to eliminate the issues.[6]
In 1995, a radioactive water leak was reported from the atomic power station.[12]
In March 2018, a reported boiler explosion at Tarapur Atomic Power Station caused fires and explosions, killing three people and injuring at least 12.[13][14][15]
During maintenance of Tarapur-1, a blast occurred which damaged the chimney. Tarapur-2 was subsequently shut down to avoid any potential issues, completely shutting down the power generation capability of Phase-1 of TAPS in January 2020.[16]
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T.A.P.S.-1 & 2 were shut down in 2020 following the explosion at T.A.P.S.-1. Later cracks were found in the primary recirculation system in both units. Restart of the two units was planned for Nov. 2024 after replacement of the damaged parts. This will increase the operational life of the older BWR units by an additional 10 years. The parts are to be delivered from Italy says plant director Mulkalwar. As of June 2025, the reactors remaine defunct. T.A.P.S.-3 & 4 are currently operational.
On 16th February 2025, the chairman of the Adani group,Gautam Adani paid a visit to the plant seeking information about its history and working along with officials from adani power and adani green. In the wake of the budget 2025, and proposed changes in the nuclear liability act, and opening the nuclear power sector for private companies, this visit has attained significance.
As a part of India's 3 stage nuclear power program, the design oh theAdvanced heavy water reactor 300 Prototype is planned for the site. Though no ground development has taken place, mainly due to delay in design at theBhabha Atomic Research Centre.[citation needed]
The Boiling water reactors (GE BWR-1) at Tarapur 1 and 2 units are earlier designs of the reactors involved in theFukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster. The Fukushima reactors are later designs:BWR-3,BWR-4, andBWR-5. The age of the reactors, coupled with their old design, have raised safety concerns and, according to one local leader in 2011, the reactors had already been in operation for 16 years longer than their design lives.[17] The reactors' power level was reduced from 210 MW to 160 MW, allowing for an increased life span.[6]
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.[18] In 2011, AERB formed a 10-member committee, consisting of experts fromIndian Institutes of Technology (IIT) andIndia Meteorological Department (IMD), to assess the vulnerability of the Tarapur to earthquakes and tsunamis.[19] A. Gopalakrishnan, former director of AERB, said that since Tarapur's reactors are much older than the Fukushima units, they should be immediately decommissioned.[20]
But the reactors were planned for restart in November 2024 after replacement of parts in the primary recirculation system. The units are planned to operate for another ten years. The cost perKWh may increase slightly. AERB has assessed the units thoroughly and has said that they can operate up to 60 effective full power years (EFPY)s while they have operated for only around 20 EFPYs. As of June 2025, the reactors remain defunct.[citation needed]
