RAPP-7 achieves rated power operation of 700 MW

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) announced that Unit 7 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP-7) achieved its rated power operation of 700 MW for the first time on February 10, 2026, at 05:15 hours. The milestone marks a key step in India’s indigenous nuclear power programme.

The 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR), developed indigenously by NPCIL, reached full power after a series of sequential commissioning stages. The unit achieved criticality on September 19, 2024, was synchronised with the Northern Grid on March 17, 2025 after clearance from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), and entered commercial operation on April 15, 2025.

NPCIL said the achievement reflects engineering capability, coordinated teamwork, and institutional integration across the nuclear programme. The Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) at Rawatbhata, where RAPP-7 is located, is India’s third-largest nuclear power plant by installed capacity.

The successful operation of RAPP-7 at rated capacity highlights the scaling of indigenous PHWR technology and adds stable baseload capacity to the national grid from a non-carbon-emitting source.