India’s most advanced nuclear plant nears completion

India The country is nearing completion of its state-of-the-art nuclear power plant Nuclear energy There is an important development in the program.

The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in the southern state of Tamil Nadu has received approval from the country’s nuclear regulator for nuclear fueling.

The PFBR is a 500 MW liquid sodium cooled reactor that has been under construction for the past 20 years. The approval marks the start of a controlled chain reaction in India’s most advanced and complex nuclear reactor.

Although there are concerns over the use of the hazardous material sodium as a coolant, the country’s nuclear board has said it has conducted safety reviews of the PFBR, along with periodic inspections.

Once operational, India will join Russia as the only two countries in the world to have commercially operating fast breeder reactors.

According to NDTV, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) Dinesh Kumar Shukla said, “This is a huge milestone for India’s self-sustaining nuclear power program.”

Shukla said that the PFBR is an ‘inherently safe reactor’.

The PFBR has been designed and built entirely in-country with the participation of over 200 Indian industries, keeping in mind the Indian government’s goal of self-sufficiency.

Due to its complexity and the need for indigenous technology, the project was delayed and cost overruns, which have now reached ₹68.4 billion (£65.143 million).

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) says the PFBR is a third-generation reactor with active safety features that ensure safe shutdown in emergency situations. It uses spent fuel from India’s nuclear program, reducing the need for nuclear waste and geological disposal.

Despite its advanced technology, PFBR’s capital and power costs are comparable to other nuclear and conventional power plants.

Approval of the PFBR also marks India’s use of plutonium as nuclear fuel and paves the way for future use of thorium, a resource of which India has large reserves.

Unlike uranium, which is scarce in India, thorium offers long-term energy independence, potentially for more than 300 years.

Experts believe that mastering thorium utilization technology can secure India’s energy future.

Fast breeder reactors like the PFBR are unique because they produce more fuel than they use, making them nearly limitless in energy.

This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).

The term ‘fast’ refers to the high-energy fast neutrons used in these reactors. India already operates a Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at the same location, which has been operational for 39 years.

The board’s approval allowed refueling and low-level experiments to begin, and the reactor is expected to become operational in the coming months.

The PFBR will initially use Uranium Plutonium Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel. A uranium-238 ‘blanket’ around the core would produce more fuel through nuclear fusion. This process, known as breeding, gives these reactors their name.

In the future, thorium-232 could also be used as a blanket, which would produce fissile uranium-233 through transmission, which would be used in the third phase of India’s nuclear program. This step is crucial to exploit India’s vast thorium reserves.

Nuclear energy is considered a reliable and low-carbon source of electricity, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to the climate crisis and diversify energy supplies. However, there are concerns about safety and waste that researchers are trying to overcome with the help of new technology.

Recently, China introduced the world’s first ‘meltdown proof’ nuclear power plant.

So far, the share of nuclear energy in the country’s total electricity generation is only 3.11%. But India plans to get about nine percent of its electricity from nuclear power by 2047 and is investing rapidly in the technology.

Presenting India’s latest annual budget, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Parliament that nuclear energy will be a ‘very important part of the energy mix’ for India’s growth.

The government plans to increase India’s nuclear power capacity from 6,780 MW to 22,480 MW by 2031. This will involve the construction of 18 new reactors that can generate a total of 13.8 GW of electricity. After the PFBR, two more fast breeder reactors are in the pipeline.