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India's PFBR to begin functioning by 2010: Kakodkar

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, April 27, IRNA
India-Nuclear-Kakodkar
India's indigenous prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) that can produce 500 megawatts of power at rates cheaper than existing atomic reactors will begin functioning by 2010.

The PFBR, which will remain outside the purview of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors under the proposed civilian nuclear deal with the US, is being built at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu and the construction work is progressing as per schedule.

"Work on the PFBR is on schedule and we expect it to be completed by 2010," PTI reported here Friday quoting Atomic Energy Commission Chairman AnilKakodkar.

The PFBR will produce electricity through the recycling of plutonium and depleted uranium recovered from the spent fuel of pressurized heavy water reactors.

The technology will allow the nuclear power generation capacity to grow to around 350,000-mw independent of any additional uranium availability.

Right to reprocessing of the spent fuel from future reactors is one of the contentious issues in the negotiations on the 123 Agreement to operationalize the civilian nuclear deal with the US.

"The unique feature of this reactor is that it produces more fuel than it consumes, thus reducing power generation costs," Kakodkar said.

The reactor is expected to supply electricity to the State grid at Rs. 3.22 a kilowatt hour (kwhr) or 'unit'.

Advanced reactors can produce electricity at Rs. 2 a kwhr.

India plans to establish four more nuclear fast breeder reactors to cater to the increasing energy needs.

The prototype is being built with an investment of Rs.3,500 crore approximately.

Of the other four reactors in the pipeline, two would be built at Kalpakkam and two elsewhere.

The future reactors are expected to deliver electricity at even lesser cost.

Construction work on the first two of the future FBRs will begin in 2011 and will be completed in 2017.

India has thorium reserves to the tune of 2.25 lakh tonnes which have an electricity potential of 1.55 lakh Giga Watt Year (GWe-yr).

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