India’s Most Advanced Nuclear Reactor Nearing Completion: Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor

Breeder reactors produce more fuel than they consume. This is considered a significant achievement for India’s self-reliant atomic energy program. The Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Dinesh Kumar Shukla, has confirmed that the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) is inherently safe.

This development marks the use of plutonium as a nuclear fuel and the initial steps towards using thorium as an atomic energy source. India, with limited reserves of uranium and abundant thorium, is working on mastering the complex technology to use thorium as fuel. Experts believe that if India can harness thorium as a fuel, it will achieve energy independence and potentially have an energy source that could last for more than three centuries.

The concept of breeder reactors can be challenging to understand, as they produce more fuel than they consume, making them seemingly an endless source of energy. India has already operated a Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam for 39 years. Extensive safety reviews and assessments, along with periodic inspections, have been carried out in the process.

The approval for the construction and operation of the PFBR was given in 2003, and it is now set to become operational in the coming months. The PFBR is a 500 MW liquid sodium cooled reactor and is a first-of-its-kind reactor in India. Despite delays and cost overruns, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) emphasizes the advanced safety features and the comparable capital and electricity costs to other nuclear and conventional power plants.

In the long term, the use of thorium-232 and uranium-233 as fuel, along with the transmutation process, will pave the way for the eventual full utilization of India’s abundant thorium reserves. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inspection of the PFBR in 2024 has accelerated the project’s activities. Overall, India is committed to expanding peaceful applications of nuclear technology while ensuring the security of nuclear and radiological materials.

Once the DAE gains confidence, plans are in place to construct two more Fast Breeder Reactors at Kalpakkam.