Nuclear Milestone: India's Private Heavy Water Plant

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) have jointly inaugurated India’s first private-sector test facility for the upgradation of depleted heavy water, marking a significant milestone in the country’s nuclear infrastructure development.

Commissioned by TEMA India, a specialist in engineered equipment manufacturing, the facility aims to decentralise the nuclear supply chain and reduce delivery delays. The inauguration was led by Rajesh V., Director – Technical, NPCIL, and K.T. Shenoy, Director, Chemical Engineering Group, BARC.

According to the official release, the facility will manufacture critical components for major nuclear projects, including RAPP 8, GHAVP Units 1–4, and KAIGA Units 5 & 6.

BARC has transferred indigenous technology to TEMA India for the development of vacuum distillation columns used in the upgradation of depleted heavy water, a process vital for maintaining Deuterium levels in Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs).

With India targeting 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 as part of its three-stage nuclear power programme, this initiative is expected to address infrastructure bottlenecks, enhance supply chain efficiency, and accelerate project commissioning timelines.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.