Mumbai: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has approved the restart and continued operation of Unit-2 of the Tarapur Atomic Power Station for another 10 years after completion of a major refurbishment and safety upgrade program undertaken by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited.The approval was granted on May 7 following a multi-tiered safety review process conducted by the nuclear regulator. The AERB board, at its meeting on May 6, took note of the refurbishment work, safety upgrades, inspection findings and detailed technical assessments before permitting restart of the reactor.Tarapur Units 1 and 2, India’s first boiling water reactors (BWRs), began commercial operations in 1969 and are also regarded as Asia’s first commercial nuclear power plant units. The station is located near Boisar in Maharashtra’s Palghar district.The approval comes at a significant juncture for India’s nuclear power programme, with the country simultaneously expanding its next-generation nuclear fleet, including the recent activation milestones achieved at the second stage of the fast breeder reactor program at Madras Atomic Power Station in Kalpakkam.The Tarapur Atomic Power Station remains one of India’s most important nuclear complexes. Besides the two aging 160 MWe BWR units, the site also houses two Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) — Units 3 and 4 — with a capacity of 540 MWe each, among the largest indigenously built PHWRs in the country. Together, the four reactors contribute substantially to western India’s power supply and form a key part of India’s nuclear generation network.According to AERB, the refurbishment of Unit-2 involved complete replacement of reactor coolant recirculation piping with advanced corrosion-resistant stainless steel forged piping and fittings. Major safety upgrades included commissioning of a Reactor Containment Filtered Venting System and an Alternate Cooling Water System. Sources said the refurbishment has come at the cheapest possible cost.During the shutdown period, critical inspections were also carried out on reactor components, including reactor pressure vessel welds, to assess aging and residual life of the unit. The regulator said the evaluations concluded that the reactor could continue safe operation with normal maintenance and surveillance measures.AERB said it will continue regulatory oversight and monitor the safety performance of both Tarapur units. Earlier, Unit-1 of the Tarapur station underwent a similar refurbishment exercise and was cleared for restart in December 2025. The unit is currently operating at its rated capacity of 160 MWe.While India pushes ahead with advanced reactor technologies aimed at long-term energy security and the country’s three-stage nuclear roadmap, the extension of aging but strategically important reactors such as Tarapur underlines the continuing role of legacy nuclear assets in maintaining base-load low-carbon electricity generation.ends
