Trial Run of India’s first 700 MW nuclear reactor to begin in first half of 2017

Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) is expected to start commercial operation in 2018 which will boost the demand of power & distribution transformer market in India

    India: The trail run of India’s first Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) would take place in mid-2017. The PHWR is a part of four 700 MW PHWRs to be developed by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) —two each at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat and Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) in Rajasthan. According to an official from NPCIL, the first out of four PHWRs is at commissioning stage and its hydro test and hot conditioning would begin in May or June of 2017. The project cost for two PHWRs is around USD1.75 billion.

TechSci Research depicts that the nuclear power sector is expected to grow in coming years due to increasing focus on development of nuclear power generation in the developing countries globally, thereby anticipating the demand of power & distribution transformer market to grow in the country. The increasing demand of electricity will result in development of new power generating facilities in the world. The demand of power in developing economies is anticipated to witness huge upsurge in near future which will require addition of power generation capacity.

According to a recent report published by TechSci Research, “India Power & Distribution Transformers Market Forecast & Opportunities, 2020”, the power and distribution transformers market in India is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 10% till 2020. Power transformers contribute a major portion in overall market revenues due to their higher price points. Under the 12^th five-year plan (2012-2017), Indian government allocated US$ 200 billion for strengthening the country’s power generation, transmission and distribution sector. One of the major developments underway includes the country’s shift from 765 kV to 1200 kV power transmission.