Prime Minister Narendra Modi will witness the initiation of the core loading of India’s indigenous 500 Mwe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, near Chennai.
PFBR marks the second stage of the three-stage nuclear power programme of the country with a “closed fuel cycle”, and the spent fuel from the first stage would be “reprocessed and used as fuel” in FBR.
A unique feature of this sodium cooled PFBR is that it can produce more fuel than it consumes, thus helping in achieving self-reliance in fuel supply for future fast reactors.
With “minimised nuclear waste” generated from the reactor and advanced safety features, the FBRs would provide a safe, efficient and clean source of energy and contribute to the goal of net zero.
This is an important step for India towards thorium utilisation in the third stage of the nuclear power programme. Once commissioned, India will be the second country after Russia to have a commercial operating Fast Reactor.