Madras Atomic Power Station

History

During its construction, a total of 3.8 lakh (380,000) railway sleeper (logs) were brought from all over India to lift the 180 ton critical equipment in the first unit, due to lack of proper infrastructure and handling equipment.

the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) was in its final construction stage, and was expected to reach criticality in March 2017 with 500 MW of electricity production. The following month the loading of the 1750 ton liquid sodium coolant were expected to happen in four to five months, with sources in the Department of Atomic Energy reporting that criticality would likely be reached only around May 2017.

Reactors

The facility houses two indigenously built Pressurised Heavy-Water Reactors (PHWRs), MAPS-1 and MAPS-2 designed to produce 235 MW of electricity each.

With India not being a signatory to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons the reactors have since 1985 been delivering their spent fuel to the nuclear reprocessing plant at Tarapur, providing the country with unsafeguarded plutonium.

A beachhead at Kalpakkam also hosts India's first indigenous Pressurised (light) water reactor (PWR). The 80 MW reactor was developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) as the land-based prototype of the nuclear power unit for India's nuclear submarines. This unit does not come under MAPS.

Units

Incidents

The reactors' coolant pipes had been plagued by vibrations and cracking with substantial cracking in the reactor coolant system. This cracking has led to the discovery of Zircaloy pieces in a moderator pump, requiring the power generation to be lowered to 170 MW.

On 26 March 1999 large amounts of heavy water spilled at MAPS-2, exposing seven technicians to heavy doses of radiation.

References

References

1. "Monthly Genration Reports Actual for Apr – 2021 : Central Sector Nuclear". Central Electricity Authority.
2. (January 2013). "Beyond PFBR to FBR 1 and 2". [[Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research]].
3. "MAPS Silver Jubilee Celebration". India Environment Portal.
4. (28 July 2016). "Answer on 28.07.2016 to Rajya Sabha unstarred question no.1184 to Government of India Department of Atomic Energy". Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India..
5. (30 July 2016). "Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor likely to be delayed". [[The Hindu]].
6. (September 2003). "NTI: Country Overviews: India: Nuclear Facilities Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS)". [[Nuclear Threat Initiative]].
7. link. (8 November 2014 . Npcil.nic.in. Retrieved 2013-12-06.)
8. (3 August 2009). "PWR building shows indigenous capability, says Kakodkar". The Hindu.
9. Subramanian, T.S. (2024-01-14). "India will 'commission a nuclear power reactor every year': NPCIL chief". [[The Hindu]].
10. (27 April 1989). "Hundred and sixty second report Public Accounts Committee (Eighth Lok Sabha) 1988–89 Madras Atomic Power Project, Department of Atomic Energy". [[Lok Sabha]].