Kalpakkam fast breeder reactor on fast track

Chennai: Work on the 500-mega watt prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR), in Kalpakkam, 80 km from Chennai, is going on at a fast pace.

The PFBR has been designed by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) and is being constructed by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini), a public sector company set up in October 2003 for construction, commissioning and operation of PFBR.

The reactor is being constructed at a cost of Rs 3,492 crore. It is expected to commence operations by September 2010, with commercial operations expected six months later.

The PFBR is expected to generate employment opportunities for over 3,000, according to sources.

The reactor will have three components — main vessel, safety vessel and inner vessel. Each component will cost around Rs 23 crore.

Speaking to reporters SK Jain, chairman and managing director, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, said three more similar projects were in the pipeline.

Of this, two would be installed at Kalpakkam with 500 Mw capacity each. He did not disclose the location of the third project.