Kaiga Atomic Power Project Unit - 2

India'a eleventh (11th) nuclear power reactor - Unit 2 of the Kaiga Atomic Power Station achieved criticality at 14:51 hrs IST on September 24,1999. Kaiga is located in the district of Uttar kanada of Karnataka State. Kaiga Atomic Power Project comprises two Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors each with an installed capacity of 220 MWe. Ground breaking on the second unit commenced in May 1988 and first pour of concrete took place in December 1989. There was a delay in the construction of the inner containment dome for want of regulatory clearances following the delamination of the dome in the first unit. Once clearances were obtained work commenced and the inner containment dome was completed in record time. This unit along with the first unit which is expected to go critical next year would feed power to the southern grid.

India already has ten (10) nuclear power reactors in operation. Two each located in Tarapur and Rajasthan were constructed with foreign assistance. Subsequently, indigenously designed reactors were constructed and commissioned: the first two of these were at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu, two at Narora in Uttar Pradesh and two more at Kakrapar in Gujarat. The latest unit is the seventh in the series of these indigenously designed and constructed reactors. Three more such units are expected to be completed during the next 6 to 9 months.

Kaiga Unit-2 was synchronised to the grid on December 02, 1999.