Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) announced on LinkedIn: “Rajasthan Atomic Power Project – Unit-7 (RAPP-7) successfully achieved rated power operation of 700 MW for the first time on 10 February 2026 at 05.15 hrs.
“The milestone stands as a testament to engineering excellence, strong teamwork and institutional synergy, reinforcing NPCIL’s role in strengthening India’s clean, reliable and self-reliant energy future. A proud moment for NPCIL, powering India with confidence and excellence.”
The company said that the achievement “establishes the robustness of the NPCIL’s 700 MW PHWR design and the capabilities of NPCIL and Indian industries”.
Unit 7 reached first criticality in September 2024 and was connected to the grid in March 2025. Once a new unit has been connected to the grid, it undergoes a process known as power ascension testing when its power levels are gradually raised – under approval from the regulator – until it reaches full capacity, as unit 7 did on Tuesday.
The unit follows Kakrapar 3 and 4 in a planned fleet of 700 MWe PHWRs: unit 3 achieved first criticality in July 2020, was connected to the grid in January 2021 and was declared to be in commercial operation in July 2023. Unit 4, which reached first criticality in December 2023, was connected to the grid in February 2024 and entered commercial operation in March 2024.
A second 700 MWe unit, RAPP-8, is also under construction at the Rajasthan site at Rawatbhata, which is already home to six operating PHWRs with a total capacity of 1,180 MW. NPCIL said light water commissioning of the eighth unit is in progress.
India’s government has sanctioned the “fleet mode” construction of further 700 MWe units at Kaiga in Karnataka; Gorakhpur in Haryana; Chutka in Madhya Pradesh; and Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan. India’s ambition is to have at least 100 GW of nuclear energy capacity by 2047 to support its energy transition efforts.
