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India's third home-built 700 MW nuclear power reactor at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan achieved a significant milestone with the completion of the hot conditioning of its primary heat transport system, according to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). The unit, part of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) 7&8, is the third reactor in the indigenous 700 MW series.

India's third home-built 700 MW nuclear power reactor being developed at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan on Thursday achieved a significant milestone with the completion of the hot conditioning of its primary heat transport system, nuclear power operator NPCIL said. "Unit-7 of Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) 7&8, the third reactor in the indigenous 700 MW series, achieved a major milestone of successful completion of Hot Conditioning of the Primary Heat Transport (PHT) system on November 30," the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said in a statement.

Hot conditioning is a prelude to further commissioning activities such as Initial Fuel Loading (IFL), First Approach to Criticality (FAC) and eventual start of electricity generation.

RAPP-7 is the first unit of the RAPP 7&8 (2X700 MW) project being built in Rawatbhata. Its twin unit, RAPP-8 is also at an advanced stage of construction.

India's first indigenously developed 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (KAPS-3) began commercial operations on June 30 at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarat. Its twin unit, KAPS-4 is at an advanced stage of construction with Initial Fuel Loading completed in October.

The NPCIL is building sixteen 700 MW PHWRs across the country and has granted financial and administrative sanction for the same.

Construction of 700 MW nuclear power plants is underway at Kakrapar (KAPS-4), Rawatbhata in Rajasthan (RAPS 7&8) and at Gorakhpur in Haryana (GHAVP 1&2).

The government has sanctioned building 10 indigenously developed PHWRs in fleet mode at four locations -- Gorakhpur in Haryana, Chutka in Madhya Pradesh, Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan and Kaiga in Karnataka.

In an update on the nuclear power plants being built at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu with Russian cooperation, the NPCIL said it completed concreting of the inner containment dome of reactor building-3 of the KKNPP-3 unit of 1,000 MW.

The NPCIL said the 37th Break Bulk Vessel containing approximately 700 FRT (freight ton) project cargo consisting of various items of KKNPP-3&4 and approximately 590 FRT cargo of KKNPP-5&6 departed for India from Russia's St Petersburg port on October 10.

The Kudankulam nuclear power project comprises six units of 1,000 MW each, two of which have been commissioned.