The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has announced the synchronisation of unit 2 at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) with the National Grid following an extensive refurbishment and modernisation programme enabling 10 more years of operation. The restart follows approval granted by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) in May. TAPS 1 underwent similar refurbishment for a 10-year operating extension and was restarted in December 2025.
TAPS 1&2 are 160 MWe boiling water reactors (BWRs) commissioned in 1969 and were Asia’s first NPPs. NPCIL said their refurbishment highlights India’s indigenous capabilities in nuclear power operations, engineering and plant life-extension activities, supported by established safety practices.
Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) Secretary and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), visited Tarapur, to review life extension work. During the visit, he inaugurated the Primary Coolant Pump Test Facility (PCPTF).
TAPS also hosts two more units (3&4) both 540 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors commissioned in 2005 and 2006. The site is slated to evolve further. India has proposed Tarapur as the rollout location for its first two domestic light water small modular reactors (SMRs): the Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200), a 200 MWe commercial-scale reactor and the SMR-55 (a 55 MWe installation) engineered for niche, targeted utility roles.
