Fuel loading for India’s first Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, is set to begin next week, marking a significant milestone in the country’s advanced nuclear energy program. 

The 500 MWe sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor, developed by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (BHAVINI), has faced multiple technical challenges in recent months, which scientists have now resolved. This critical phase follows the inauguration of the reactor by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March of the previous year.

Once commissioned, the PFBR will be only the second operational fast breeder reactor in the world. The first is Russia’s 800 MWe BN-series reactor. Several countries have attempted but failed to commercialise fast breeder technology due to its complexity and high operational demands. The Indian PFBR successfully integrates plutonium-based mixed oxide (MOX) fuel and a liquid sodium coolant, which allows it to operate at higher temperatures with improved neutron efficiency.

According to senior officials at the Department of Atomic Energy, the first fuel loading is expected to lead to first criticality within six months. Following this, the reactor will gradually ramp up to full power operations. The PFBR represents the second stage of India’s three-stage nuclear program, which aims to establish a closed nuclear fuel cycle—extracting maximum energy from limited uranium resources and preparing the ground for thorium-based reactors.

India’s nuclear roadmap envisions a closed fuel cycle beginning with Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) using natural uranium. The spent fuel from these PHWRs is reprocessed to extract plutonium, which becomes the core fuel for fast breeder reactors like the PFBR.

Subsequently, the breeders generate additional fissile material (mainly uranium-233), which will be used in thorium-based reactors during the third stage. This cycle reduces nuclear waste while leveraging India’s vast thorium reserves for long-term energy sustainability.

In July last year, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) authorised the PFBR’s fuel loading, approach-to-criticality, and low-power physics experiments after extensive safety evaluations. Once operational, the reactor will serve as a demonstration platform for the commercial deployment of future fast breeder reactors, with several units already planned for the coming decade.

India’s current installed nuclear capacity stands at 8.18 GW, primarily derived from PHWRs operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). Another 7.30 GW of capacity is under construction, and 7.00 GW in new projects has been sanctioned and is undergoing preparatory activity. By 2031–32, India’s total nuclear capacity is projected to reach 22.48 GW.

Beyond this milestone, NPCIL plans to add 15.40 GW through additional indigenous PHWRs and 17.60 GW through Light Water Reactors (LWRs) built with international cooperation. BHAVINI will contribute another 3.80 GW through advanced fast breeder reactors.

The broader target under the government’s Nuclear Energy Mission is to achieve 100 GW of electricity from nuclear sources, incorporating future Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Bharat Small Reactors developed in collaboration with private-sector partners.

The successful commissioning of the PFBR will not only boost India’s nuclear power generation capacity but also demonstrate the country’s mastery over complex fast breeder technologies that only Russia currently possesses. It represents a strategic leap in energy security, paving the way for thorium utilisation and sustainable nuclear power generation, crucial for meeting India’s long-term clean energy goals and reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Based On PTI Report