India’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has issued approval for start of excavation activities for construction of units 1&2 of the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Nuclear Power Project (MBRAPP) which will have 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs). The approval was issued to Anushakti Vidyut Nigam Limited (ASHVINI), a joint venture formed in 2024 between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, NCPIL (51%) and NTPC Limited (49%), to build, own and operate NPPs under the provisions of the 1962 Atomic Energy Act.
This follows consent issued to NPCIL for the Mahi Banswara site in May 2025 for construction of MBRAPP units 1- 4. That consent was subsequently transferred to ASHVINI in September 2025. The 700 MWe PHWR units at MBRAPP 1&2 are similar to units 3&4 of the Kakrapara Atomic Power Station, licensed by AERB for regular operation in July 2025. The estimated cost of the MBRAPP project is INR420bn ($ 4.46bn) and it is expected to take 6.5 years to complete.
Once completed, it will be the second NPP in the state after the 2,580 MWe Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) at Rawatbhata. Seven of the eight RAPP units with an installed capacity of 1880 MWe have already been commissioned. The eighth 700 MWe unit is being commissioned.
The MBRAPP project is part of India’s fleet mode initiative to build ten identical 700 MWe reactors at various locations across India under uniform design and procurement plans, an approach the Indian government says will bring in cost efficiencies and speed deployment, while consolidating operational expertise.
The other reactors that make up the ten planned units are Kaiga units 5&6 (in Karnataka), Gorakhpur units 3&4 (Haryana), and Chutka units 1&2 (Madhyar Pradesh). Two 700 MWe PHWR units at Kakrapar, in Gujurat, are already in commercial operation while RAPP 7&8 are in the commissioning process.
