Rajasthan nuclear plant unit 5 sets world record

Completes 740 days of continuous operation

Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) run Rajasthan atomic power station (RAPS) unit 5 on Monday on set a world record for continuous operation for 740 days.

The 220 MW unit has generated 4,120 million units (MUs) during the continuous operation. It has so far generated 8,525 MUs since it attained commercial operation on February 4, 2010.

The Unit-5 completed 739 days of non-stop power production in 13-56 hours, displacing from the number two slot — the La Salle Power County Nuclear Generating Station at Illinois in the US, Unit-1 of which had run for 739 days without a shutdown. In India, the Tarapur Nuclear Reactor had operated non-stop for 590 days.

NPC in its release said there are 436 nuclear power reactors operating in the 31 countries.

''With RAPS unit 5 setting a new world record, Indian nuclear reactor has become the best performing nuclear reactor for last 20 years and the second best in the history of nuclear power reactors. During its continuous operation, unit 5 which is Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) has fulfilled all safety stipulation. PHWR is completely built by indigenous technology.

According to NPC, RAPS unit 5 is planned to be shut down for routine maintenance and inspection on September 6, 2014.