Large-sized nuclear power plant (NPP) units with a rated capacity of 700 MWe or more are crucial for the civilian nuclear sector since they enable efficient land utilization, and provide economies of scale, facilitating rapid capacity enhancement. However, since commercial nuclear reactors are envisaged to supply clean and affordable baseload power to the utilities, the possible technological options should be evaluated in detail through a multi-disciplinary lens. This report provides a detailed comparative evaluation of five prominent variants of large light water reactors (LWRs) of foreign origin and an indicative ranking among the studied reactor technologies is provided as input to policymakers and eligible Indian energy companies interested in putting up large LWRs.
