India's Fast Breeder Reactor To Start Generation In September

BENGALURU: India's first indigenously designed 500 MW fast breeder reactor is expected to generate power from September and the focus is on not missing the deadline, a top official of the Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd said on Tuesday.

"This September, the unit will be connected to the southern power grid, generating around 30 percent of the total capacity. Full power generation is expected to begin around April 2016," P Chellapandi, chairman and managing director told IANS.

BHAVINI is setting up the country's first indigenously designed 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor at Kalpakkam, around 80 km from Chennai.

A breeder reactor is one that breeds more material for a nuclear fission reaction than it consumes. The PFBR will be fuelled by a blend of plutonium and uranium oxide, called MOX fuel.

While the reactor will break up plutonium for power production, it will also breed more plutonium than it consumes. The original plutonium comes from natural uranium.

The 30 percent power generation that Chellapandi says is sizeable 150 MW.

The initial power generation would be gradually increased based on various test results.

According to Chellapandi, all the construction related works will be over in a month's time.
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