Tarapur (Maharashtra)
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 India
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| State : | Maharashtra | ||
| District : | Palghar | ||
| Location : | 19 ° 51 ′ N , 72 ° 42 ′ E | ||
| Residents : | 6,962 (2011) | ||
Tarapur ( Marathi तारापुर, Tārāpur) is a small town in Maharashtra . It is located in the Thane district and has a population of around 7,000.
Geographical location
It is an industrial city located 45 km north of Virar on the western Mumbai railway line . The nearest train station is in Boisar . It can also be reached via the national road NH 8 (approx. 20 km away).
Nuclear industry
Nuclear power plant
The Tarapur nuclear power plant (TAPS ( Tarapur Atomic Power Station ) for short ) houses two boiling water reactors with an output of 160 MW each, the first to be built in Asia and two new CANDU reactors (PHWR) with 540 MW output. The two heavy water reactors are the most powerful in India to date. They were completed 7 months ahead of schedule and cost significantly less than previously calculated.
The older reactors were built by the American companies Bechtel and GE , the two new ones by the Indian companies L&T and Gammon . The entire power plant is operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited . The staff who work in the power plant live in a residential complex called the TAPS Colony. This residential complex is fifteen minutes from Boisar train station. It was also built by Bechtel to accommodate both Indian and American employees. Because the complex was also intended for American engineers and technicians, it has the appearance of a small American town with neat sidewalks, spacious houses, tennis courts and an outdoor swimming pool. While the Americans are long gone, the residential complex is still thriving.
Nuclear repository
The Tarapur repository was commissioned in 1968. It is intended for low and medium level nuclear waste. It is worrying that it was created very close to the surface.
Industrial site
Tarapur owns a huge industrial estate that is mainly home to drug manufacturers, specialty chemicals companies and steel mills. Companies in the textile industry have also settled there.
Infrastructure
As mentioned above, a lot was done for the city of Tarapur during the time the Americans were involved in the construction of the NPP. Tarapur is also known for its good schools and hospitals. The roads are also well developed.