New Delhi: The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has commenced initial fuel loading (IFL) at Unit 8 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) in Rawatbhata, Rajasthan, marking a significant stage in the commissioning of the country’s indigenous 700-megawatt-electric (MWe) pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR).
According to NPCIL, initial fuel loading began at 3:18 pm on September 19 following permission from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). The regulatory approval came after safety evaluations, system integrity audits and site readiness reviews.
RAPP-8 is expected to begin commercial operations during the current financial year. The transition from initial fuel loading to commercial operation generally takes around six to eight months.
The next major commissioning milestone will be the First Approach to Criticality (FAC), which will mark the beginning of a controlled fission chain reaction, followed by power generation.
RAPP-8 is the fourth reactor in a planned series of 16 indigenous 700 MWe PHWRs. The first two reactors of the series, Units 3 and 4 at the Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarat, entered commercial operation in 2023-24, while RAPP-7 followed in April 2025.
Meanwhile, geotechnical investigations for Units 9 and 10 at the Rawatbhata site have also commenced. NPCIL currently has eight other reactors under construction at Gorakhpur, Kaiga and Kudankulam.
The progress is expected to further support standardisation and fleet-mode deployment of India’s indigenous 700 MWe PHWR technology.
