India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has laid the foundation stone for Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam’s (Ashvini’s) Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (MBRAPP) at Banswara. The project entails an investment of around INR 420bn ($4.7m). Once completed, it will be one of the largest NPPs in India.
MBRAPP comprises four indigenous 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) with advanced safety features (also known as IPHWR 700) designed and developed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL). The plant, spread over 602 hectares, will draw water from the Mahi River. The first unit is expected to start commercial operations by May 2032, with the remaining units commissioned every six months thereafter. This will be Rajasthan’s second NPP – the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) at Rawatbhata has seven units in operation and another under construction.
The Mahi Banswara project is part of India’s fleet initiative, with 10 identical 700 MWe reactors being built across India using uniform design and procurement plans. These include Kaiga 5&6 (Karnataka), Gorakhpur 3&4 (Haryana), and Chutka units 1 and 2 (Madhyar Pradesh). Three reactors have already been commissioned – Kakrapar 3&4 (Gujarat) and Rajastan 7, with Rajastan 8 under construction. This approach aims to bring cost efficiencies, faster deployment, and consolidated operational expertise.
MBRAPP is being developed by Ashvini with joint participation of NPCIL (51%) and NTPC (49%) pooling the financial, technological, and project expertise of both companies. The NPCIL-NTPC joint venture set up to construct, own and NPPs in India received government approval in 2024.
At the ceremony in Banswara, Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated solar projects worth INR192bn and three power transmission projects worth over INR131.8bn, as well as substations and other infrastructure projects.
