To boost energy production from non-fossil sources, India is building large light water nuclear power plants along the coast and smaller heavy water units inland. While the light water reactors use foreign technology, the inland heavy water plants are developed with domestic engineering over the last forty years.
Construction is now ongoing at Gorakhpur, Haryana, a northern state that borders the capital, Delhi, for a heavy water site. The Indian government owned utility, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, carried out detailed geotechnical investigations and seismo-tectonic studies at the site because of the soft alluvial soil there, and ground improvement works have been completed.
The regulator, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, completed an in-depth safety review to verify conformance with safety codes ahead of pouring the first concrete. This safety review focused on civil engineering aspects and changes in the design and layout of units 1 and 2 with respect to nuclear and radiological safety aspects.
The site may ultimately be home to four reactors of 700 megawatts each. Commissioning the first two may happen around 2026.
