The plant 3 of Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS), which generates around 540 MWe power, has been shut down since May 23 for in service inspection (ISI). The four units of the TAPS generate 1,400 MWe power.
Rajiv Godbole, chief superintendent, TAPS, said the shutdown will remain for 33 days, and the plant will be operational in the first week of July. “We undertake the shutdown of TAPS 3 once every two years to assess the health of the reactors. We will be shutting down the TAPS 4 in February 2018 for similar reasons, as per the rules of the Department of Atomic Energy.” The nation’s first nuclear power station was started in 1969 using the ancient boiling water reactor technology, while the two new plants — 3 and 4 — use the pressurised heavy water reactor technology. The power is supplied to the national grid, and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) is one of its consumers. Meanwhile, MSEB officials claimed that the shutdown will not affect its services. Bharat Pawar, public relations officer, MSEB, Kalyan circle, said, “We have a pool comprising private, State and Central power suppliers. We have been able to meet the State’s demand of 16,000 MWe power. In fact, we have an excess of 1,000 MWe power and we are looking for customers.”
The writer is a freelance journalist
