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KAKRAPARA

Nuclear power plant in Gujarat, India. Approximate location 21.2384, 73.3489.

NuclearGujaratIndiaHorizontal Pressure Tube typepressurized heavy water reactor

KAKRAPARA is a 1,840 MW nuclear power station in Gujarat, India. It is operated by Nuclear Power Corporation Of India Ltd [100%]. Based on reported annual generation of 881 GWh, it can supply roughly 252k homes. It ranks #143 of 2,229 India power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 1993, it is around 33 years old — long-established. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, nuclear supplies about 2.6% of India's electricity; the national grid averages 670 gCO₂/kWh (26.7% low-carbon) (2025).

1,840Source-backed capacity
8 yrconstruction time (1984→1992)
881GWh reported / yr
251,714homes powered
1993commissioned (~33 yrs)

Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id IND0000173.

Data status

Known data

FacilityKAKRAPARA WRI
CountryIndia · Gujarat WRI
Coordinates21.2384, 73.3489 WRI
FuelNuclear WRI
MW installed capacity1,840 MW WRI source record; scope not independently normalised
OwnerNuclear Power Corporation Of India Ltd [100%] WRI
Commissioned1993 WRI
Technologypressurized heavy water reactor WRI
GWh reported / yr881 GWh/yr WRI

Calculated from dataset

Capacity rank in country#143 of 2229 calculated
Fuel-specific rank in country#9 of 17 calculated
Capacity vs country/fuel peers1.00× · 1,840 MW median · 17 peers calculated
Homes-powered equivalent251,714 calculated from reported generation
Climate27.1°C · HDD 0 derived from coordinates
Environmental severityC4 · 44/100 derived from coordinates

Not available

GWh reported / yrNot available not in dataset
CO₂ emissionsnot applicable not applicable

Known, modelled and calculated values are kept separate. Missing fields are shown as unavailable.

Capacity provenance

The public capacity above is the current source-record value. A 2026 tracker candidate lists 1,840 MW for Kakrapar nuclear power plant, but it is not used as the public primary value until scope is verified (unit vs operating vs installed/project total).

Capacity claim grade: B_SCOPE_PARENT_COMPLEX - recommended action: build_parent_complex_model - confidence: not_comparable_without_scope. This follows a claim-based data model: value + scope + source + confidence, rather than silently overwriting records.

Data provenance

The capacity and/or fuel fields on this page include a source-backed provenance label from GEM, an official registry, Wikidata, OSM, or a cross-source match.

capacity: GEM tracker 2026 (location L100000500044); fuel: WRI source-record fuel

In context: how this plant compares

At 1,840 MW, KAKRAPARA is around the median nuclear plant in India (1,840 MW). Technically it is described as pressurized heavy water reactor. Nuclear plants split uranium to raise steam with no direct CO₂; they run as steady baseload with very high capacity factors and the longest operating lifetimes of any thermal plant.

Capacity comparison computed from the WRI Global Power Plant Database; fuel-type context is general engineering background.

Reported generation trend

2014: 3,155 GWh20142015: 1,784 GWh20152016: 0 GWh20162017: 0 GWh20172018: 881 GWh20183k GWh

Annual generation (GWh), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).

Owner

Operated by Nuclear Power Corporation Of India Ltd [100%].

Local climate & thermal context

This nuclear plant uses heat from nuclear fission to raise steam for a turbine-generator. It sits in a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Aw) — Northern Hemisphere, latitude 21.2°N — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.

27.1°Cannual mean temp
0heating degree-days (base 18°C)
3,310cooling degree-days (base 18°C)
91 melevation

Monthly mean temperature

J: 22 °CJF: 24 °CFM: 28 °CMA: 31 °CAM: 32 °CMJ: 30 °CJJ: 28 °CJA: 27 °CAS: 27 °CSO: 28 °CON: 25 °CND: 23 °CD32 °C

This site has effectively no heating season (tropical/equatorial climate), so winter heat loss is not the driver here. The thermal concern shifts to year-round process heat and humidity/heat-driven corrosion of hot equipment.

Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.

Site climate & environmental severity

For a plant’s outdoor hardware — heat-recovery steam generators (HRSG), expansion joints, valves, flanges and their insulation — the local climate sets how fast unprotected steel and coatings degrade. This site sits in a corrosive environment (estimated ISO 9223 class C4 — High), with humidity / wetness the leading environmental stress.

C4ISO 9223 corrosivity (indicative)
44/100environmental-severity index
10.3°Cseasonal temperature swing
82 kmdistance to coast

Higher environmental severity is exactly where protective removable insulation pays back most: a sheltered micro-climate slows corrosion, UV and thermal-cycling damage and extends outdoor hardware service life. This is an indicative site-climate context — not a condition assessment of any specific plant or operator.

Indicative estimate via the ISO 9223:2012 informative method (atmospheric corrosivity from temperature, time-of-wetness and airborne salinity), using WorldClim climate normals, the Köppen-Geiger class and coast distance. Indicative, not a measured corrosion rate.

How it compares & nearby plants

The #9 largest nuclear power plant of 17 in India by capacity.

India has 17 nuclear power plants in this dataset, together about 44,460 MW of capacity.

Nearby power plants

Location

Coordinates 21.2384, 73.3489 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.

Frequently asked questions

What type of power plant is KAKRAPARA?

KAKRAPARA is a 1,840 MW source-record nuclear power plant in Gujarat, India, commissioned in 1993.

How much electricity does KAKRAPARA generate?

KAKRAPARA generates about 881 GWh of electricity per year.

How many homes can KAKRAPARA power?

Its output is enough to supply roughly 251,714 homes.

Who operates KAKRAPARA?

KAKRAPARA is operated by Nuclear Power Corporation Of India Ltd [100%].

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