Tarapur Atomic Power Station
Topic: Energy Resources of India: Conventional and Non-conventional · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 5 "Mineral and Energy Resources"
Meaning
The Tarapur Atomic Power Station is India's first nuclear power station. Nuclear power comes from splitting atoms of uranium (fission). This releases heat, and the heat makes steam that turns turbines. Tarapur started working in 1969 with boiling water reactors built in the USA. It marked the start of nuclear electricity in India.
Example
Tarapur is on the coast of Maharashtra, north of Mumbai. Other nuclear power stations that came later are Rawatbhata (Rajasthan), Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu), Narora (Uttar Pradesh), Kaiga (Karnataka), Kakrapar (Gujarat) and Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu). Kudankulam has Russian reactors.
Don't confuse with
- Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Trombay, Mumbai): a research centre, not a power station. It began in 1954 and got its present name in 1967.
- Jaitapur nuclear project (Ratnagiri, Maharashtra): also in Maharashtra, but it is only a plan. Six French reactors are planned there, and the project is stalled.
Related concepts
- Nuclear energy
- Uranium
- Thorium
- Bhabha Atomic Research Centre
- Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant
- Jaitapur nuclear project
- Three-stage nuclear power programme
- Pressurised heavy water reactor
- Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor
- Small modular reactor