New Delhi, Jul 31: The commissioning of the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) has run into delays due to “first of a kind technological issues”, the government told Parliament on Thursday.
The core loading of the PFBR started in March last year in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, signalling India’s approach to the second stage of its three-stage nuclear programme.
In July last year, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) had granted approval for integrated commissioning of the PFBR.
“Delay in completion of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) project is mainly due to first of a kind technological issues being faced in the integrated commissioning phase of the project,” Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh said in a written reply in Rajya Sabha.
He said these issues were being solved systematically in close co-ordination with the designers.
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.
India has been operating a Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) at Kalpakkam for the last four decades.
The Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR), which marks the third stage of India’s nuclear programme, is undergoing peer review of the design.
India operates 24 nuclear power reactors with a total capacity of 8,780 MW. In addition, a total capacity of 13,600 MW, including 500 MW PFBR being implemented by BHAVINI, is under different stages of implementation.
On its progressive completion, the installed nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 22,380 MW by 2031-32, Singh said.
The government has announced an ambitious nuclear energy mission with a target of reaching a nuclear power capacity of 100 GW by 2047 and measures for enabling R&D in small modular reactors and new advanced technologies.
The target of 100 GW by 2047 is planned to be achieved by deploying reactors based on existing and new advanced technologies, both in public and private sector. PTI
