World's first plutonium-based FBR to be ready by 2010

Bangalore, May 23 (UNI) The world's first plutonium-based Fast Breeder 500 MW Plant at Kalpakkam, taken up at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore, will be ready by 2010, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) Chairman S K Jain informed today.

In a chat with newspersons here, he said ''India is the only country which has mastered this technology and pursuing the Fast Breeder Reactor.'' Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited, for which Mr Jain was the Chairman and Managing Director, had been entrusted with the task of plant construction. Civil works have been taken up and equipment fabrication had started for the prototype plant. If it proved to be a success, many Fast Breeder plants could be installed. Efforts were on to further develop the technology to contain wastage.

Plutonium, the wastage obtained after Uranium was used in nuclear power plants for producing energy, had the potential to produce 300,000 MW of power.

Mr Jain said the first unit of the 2 X 1,000 MW nuclear power project at Koodangulam in Tamil Nadu, taken up with Russian collaboration, would be ready by 2008 and the second unit after six months. The total cost of the project was Rs 12,500 crore.

To a question, he said large number of companies, especially from France, Russia and America, were coming forward to set up nuclear power plants in the country after talks were held between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Geroge W Bush during the latter's recent visit to India. Dialogues, though in the preliminary stage, were on, he added.

UNI MSP GD HVB1840