Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited’s (NPCIL) Kaiga Generating Station Unit-I (KGS-1) has completed the En-Mass Coolant Channel Replacement (EMCCR) and En-Mass Feeder Replacement (EMFR) programmes. The unit loaded its first new fuel bundle on September 13, 2026, marking the beginning of restart activities.
KGS-1 achieved the milestone in the shortest time among NPCIL units that have undergone EMCCR and EMFR. The unit was shut down on April 1, 2025 for taking up these activities, after more than 25 years of safe operation during which it supplied around 37,670 million units of electricity to the grid. The replacement programme involved defuelling, draining of heavy water, and removal and replacement of coolant channels. It also included in-core inspections, installation and inspection of new coolant channels, fresh-fuel loading, leak testing, heavy-water filling, hydrotesting, hot conditioning, and subsequent approach to reactor criticality.