Transformers & Rectifiers Enters India’s Nuclear Supply Chain with Kaiga 5 and 6 Transformer Order

Indian power-equipment manufacturer Transformers & Rectifiers (India) Limited, or TARIL, has entered the nuclear-power sector for the first time after securing an order to manufacture generator transformers for Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited’s Kaiga Units 5 and 6 in Karnataka.

The order has been placed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), which is executing major engineering, procurement and construction work for the two new reactors. TARIL said the contract represents its first nuclear-sector order and adds nuclear power to its growing portfolio of critical electricity-infrastructure projects.

Generator Transformers for Two Indigenous 700 MW Reactors

Kaiga Units 5 and 6 will comprise two indigenous 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, adding a combined 1,400 MW of nuclear generating capacity at the Kaiga site near Karwar in Karnataka. They form part of the first fleet of ten 700 MW PHWRs being developed using India’s domestically evolved reactor technology.

Generator transformers occupy an important position between a generating station and the electricity transmission network. Electricity emerging from a turbine-generator is produced at a voltage considerably lower than the voltage required for efficient long-distance transmission. The generator transformer steps this voltage up before the electricity is transferred into the high-voltage grid.

For Kaiga 5 and 6, TARIL’s equipment will therefore form part of the electrical infrastructure responsible for evacuating electricity generated by the two nuclear units and integrating it with the transmission network.

The order is significant for TARIL because nuclear projects impose demanding requirements concerning engineering quality, reliability, documentation, inspection and long service life. At the same time, generator transformers should be distinguished from the reactor and its nuclear systems: TARIL’s order represents entry into the nuclear-power project supply chain through critical electrical infrastructure, rather than the manufacture of the nuclear reactor itself.

Construction of Kaiga 5 and 6 Began in March

Kaiga 5 and 6 crossed a major project milestone on 1 March 2026, when NPCIL carried out the First Pour of Concrete for the Unit-5 Nuclear Building after receiving the necessary statutory and regulatory clearances.

First Pour of Concrete formally marks the transition of a nuclear project from preparatory activity into the construction phase. NPCIL has said the first of the two new Kaiga reactors is expected to achieve criticality in approximately 60 months from the First Pour of Concrete, placing the project on a construction trajectory extending into the beginning of the next decade.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board had authorised First Pour of Concrete after completing its safety review of the indigenous 700 MWe PHWR design. AERB said the design incorporates advanced safety features aligned with its regulatory requirements and contemporary international nuclear-safety standards.

Bulk procurement and manufacturing of long-lead equipment are now underway. NPCIL has adopted a new execution model for Kaiga 5 and 6 based on a limited number of large EPC packages covering areas such as the Nuclear Island, Turbine Island, excavation and nuclear instrumentation, intended to reduce interfaces between contractors and accelerate project execution.

MEIL Holds Major ₹12,787-Crore Kaiga EPC Package

MEIL already occupies an important position in the construction programme. NPCIL awarded the company the Nuclear Island Mega EPC Package for Kaiga 5 and 6 in April 2025, valued at approximately ₹12,786.94 crore.

The package covers extensive design, engineering, supply, fabrication, civil construction, erection, testing, commissioning and associated work for the Nuclear Island. NPCIL records show that MEIL secured the package following competitive bidding involving MEIL, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and Larsen & Toubro.

TARIL’s generator-transformer order from MEIL consequently brings another Indian industrial manufacturer into the broader ecosystem supporting construction of the new reactors.

Kaiga Site Could Rise to 2,280 MW

Kaiga already hosts four indigenous 220 MW PHWR units, giving the existing station an installed capacity of 880 MW. The four reactors entered commercial operation between 2000 and 2011.

The addition of the two 700 MW units would increase the nuclear generating capacity located at Kaiga by another 1,400 MW, taking the site to 2,280 MW once Units 5 and 6 are completed, assuming the existing units remain in service.

The expansion is also technologically significant. India’s earlier Kaiga reactors belong to the 220 MW PHWR generation, while Units 5 and 6 will use the much larger 700 MW indigenous PHWR design that has already entered commercial operation at Kakrapar in Gujarat.

The transition allows NPCIL to obtain substantially more generating capacity from each reactor while building multiple units of a standardised design.

First Project of India’s Ten-Reactor Fleet Programme to Enter Construction

Kaiga 5 and 6 have another distinction: they are the first project under India’s fleet-mode programme of ten indigenous 700 MW PHWRs to formally enter construction.

The ten reactors comprise two units at Kaiga in Karnataka, two at Gorakhpur in Haryana, two at Chutka in Madhya Pradesh and four at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan. Together they represent 7,000 MW of additional indigenous nuclear capacity.

Fleet construction is intended to create greater standardisation across reactor design, equipment procurement and construction. Instead of treating every station as a largely independent project, repeat orders for common equipment can support larger manufacturing runs and give Indian suppliers greater certainty to invest in specialised production capacity.

This has important implications for companies entering the sector. Nuclear expansion requires far more than reactor vessels and nuclear fuel. A power station contains thousands of systems ranging from turbines, generators and transformers to pumps, valves, heat exchangers, electrical switchgear, control systems, specialised cables, forgings and precision components.

As more standardised indigenous reactors move into construction, the potential addressable market for qualified Indian manufacturers can consequently increase substantially.

TARIL Expands Beyond Conventional Grid Equipment

For Ahmedabad-headquartered TARIL, the Kaiga order comes as the company expands its high-voltage transformer business across India’s electricity system.

The company manufactures power, distribution, furnace and rectifier transformers and says it has supplied more than 18,000 transformers across over 40 countries. Its capabilities extend to transformers and reactors rated as high as 1,000 MVA and the 1,200 kV class.

The nuclear breakthrough also follows another substantial order secured in August. TARIL announced a POWERGRID transformer order exceeding ₹1,000 crore, classified by the company as an “Ultra Mega Order.”

Adding nuclear power gives TARIL exposure to another strategically important segment at a time when India is preparing a much larger expansion of its electricity-generation and transmission infrastructure.

India Targets 100 GW of Nuclear Capacity by 2047

The Kaiga expansion is part of a much broader national programme. India currently has 8,780 MW of installed nuclear generating capacity, while additional reactors are in various stages of construction and implementation.

Under the Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat, the government has set a target of reaching 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047. The government has specifically indicated that indigenous PHWR technology is expected to make a substantial contribution to this expansion.

Achieving that scale would require not only construction of many more reactors but also a substantial enlargement of India’s nuclear manufacturing ecosystem. Established suppliers such as BHEL, L&T and other specialist engineering companies would need to be complemented by additional domestic manufacturers capable of meeting nuclear-project requirements.

That makes TARIL’s Kaiga order more important than its immediate contract value. It demonstrates how the construction of India’s indigenous 700 MW reactor fleet is beginning to draw additional domestic engineering companies into the nuclear supply chain.

For Transformers & Rectifiers, the contract provides its first reference project in a sector where repeat opportunities could increase sharply as India’s nuclear programme expands. For the broader industry, it represents another step toward creating the deep domestic manufacturing base that will be required if India is to translate its 100 GW nuclear ambition into operating generating capacity.

---