India's 1st prototype fast-breeder reactor to be commissioned by Sept 2026

India's first prototype fast-breeder reactor in Tamil Nadu's Kalpakkam is expected to be commissioned next year, nearly two years after it got the go-ahead from the nuclear regulator, officials have said.

The commissioning of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) will mark the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear programme that aims to recycle spent fuel to reduce the inventory of radioactive waste.

The PFBR being developed in Kalpakkam is the first-of-its-kind nuclear reactor to use plutonium-based mixed oxide as fuel and liquid sodium as coolant. It will also utilise the spent fuel of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, which form the mainstay of nuclear power in India at present.

While the state-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) operates nuclear power plants in the country, the PFBR in Kalpakkam is being developed by the Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (BHAVINI).

"BHAVINI's 500 MW PFBR is in the advanced stage of integrated commissioning, with expected first criticality by 2025-26," Department of Atomic Energy officials recently told the parliamentary standing committee on science and technology.

They had told the committee that the first criticality of the PFBR was expected to be achieved in March and the plant would be completed by September 2026.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi witnessed the commencement of core loading in the nuclear reactor in March last year.

Last July, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) granted permission for loading of fuel, first approach to criticality and conducting low-power physics experiments for the PFBR.

PFBRs are critical for India's nuclear programme as the spent fuel from these reactors will be used to power the thorium-based reactors that form the third stage of the closed fuel cycle.

The government has announced a nuclear energy mission that aims to produce 100 GW electricity through nuclear power.

At present, India's installed nuclear power capacity stands at 8.18 GW. An additional 7.30 GW nuclear energy projects are under construction or commissioning and 7.00 GW have been sanctioned and are currently undergoing pre-project activities.

Upon completion of these projects, India's nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 22.48 GW by 2031-32.

Beyond this, NPCIL plans to add another 15.40 GW through indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors and 17.60 GW through Light Water Reactors with foreign cooperation, bringing the total installed capacity to 55 GW.

Additionally, BHAVINI is expected to contribute 3.80 GW through Fast Breeder Reactors while the remainder of the capacity will come from Small Modular Reactors, Bharat Small Reactors, and other advanced nuclear technologies developed with private sector collaboration.