Work to lay concrete for two new Kaiga units launched

Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty launched concreting work for the construction of the fifth and sixth nuclear power units at Kaiga in Uttara Kannada on Sunday.

He said that 10 units of indigenous technology PHW (Pressurised Heavy Water) reactor type are being built at various nuclear power plants in the country.

Out of these, two units of 700 MW capacity of PHW type are being built at Kaiga. With this technology, the PHW used once in the reactor will be re-used several times. These two units are being built at a cost of around ₹21,000 crore.

Dr. Mohanty launched the work by pressing a button. Later, he performed a puja to mark the commencement of the work. This is considered a significant milestone in the construction of nuclear power generation units.

A time limit of 59 months has been given to complete the unit construction work. Megha Infra Ltd. is the main contractor.

The Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant has four units of 220 MW capacity. The construction work of the fifth and sixth units was started in 2025 itself. Rods have been attached to the foundation to build the reactor. Concreting has now started. After the commissioning of these two units, the power generation capacity of the Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant will be 2280 MW.

NPCL Chairman Bhuvan Chandra Pathak said that nuclear power plants are producing over 85 million units per day in the country and there are significant revenue earnings.

“The Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant has achieved significant milestones. We have begun the work of concreting units five and six after obtaining permission from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. This is a significant milestone,” he said.

Kaiga plant Director B. Vinod Kumar, Director of the fifth and sixth units Suresh Kulkarni and others were present, according to a release.