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Tarapur is a
census town in
Thane district in the
Indian state of
Maharashtra. It is an industrial town located some 45 km north of
Virar, on the Western Railway line of
Mumbai Suburban Division (
Mumbai Suburban Railway). Tarapur can be reached from
Boisar, the nearest railway station. It is 20 km off National Highway NH-8.
Economy
Atomic power stations
The Tarapur nuclear power station houses two
boiling water reactors (BWRs), each of 200 MW (De-rated to 160MW), the first in Asia, and a recent unit with two
pressurised heavy water reactors each of 540 MW. This PHWR based power station is not only the largest nuclear power reactor in the country but also the largest power unit in India. It was commissioned seven months ahead of schedule, at a cost much lower than the original estimate, by the
Nuclear Power Corporation of India.
Tarapur Atomic Power Station (320 MW) (T.A.P.S.) was constructed by the American companies
Bechtel and
GE near village Akkarpatti. The new reactors (1080 MW) were constructed by
L & T and
Gammon India. Both these power stations are operated by
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited. The personnel operating the power plant live in a residential complex called T. A. P. S. Township. This residential complex is a fifteen minute drive from Boisar, the nearest railway station. The residential complex was also constructed by Bechtel to house both Indian and American...
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