HCC wins order to construct fast reactor fuel cycle facility

Infrastructure major Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) on Monday said it has secured an order worth Rs 763.57 crore from Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) for construction of a Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Facility (FRFCF).

In a statement issued here, HCC said the facility will come up at Kalpakkam and the scope of work includes construction of nuclear safety compliant structures for the fuel processing plant for fast breeder reactors and allied facilities including civil, electrical and mechanical works.

The project is to be completed in 48 months, HCC said.

"We are happy to receive this contract for building Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Facility at Kalpakkam. With our well-experienced team, we are confident of delivering this job on time with precision in quality, safety and state-of-the-art technology," Arun Karambelkar, President and CEO-E&C, was quoted as saying in the statement.

When completed, this would serve as fuel processing facility for fast breeder reactors.

A fast breeder reactor is one which breeds more material for a nuclear fission reaction than it consumes. It is the key to India's three-stage nuclear power programme.

The purpose of FRFCF is to reprocess the spent fuel of the prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) that is being built at Kalpakkam and also for two other fast reactors expected to come up there.

Earlier, IGCAR officials had told IANS that the FRFCF project would involve an outlay of Rs 9,600 crore and would employ 1,500-2,000 people.

--IANS

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