Kalpakkam PFBR to be ready by 2010

Tiruchirapalli, Feb 16: The proposed 500-MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam will be ready by 2010, IGCAR Director (Chemistry Group) P R Vasudeva Rao said.

The Rs 3,492 crore project was the first commercial venture by the IGCAR. The power generated-- equivalent to 1,250 MW of thermal power-- would be transmitted to the grid, he told the media here yesterday.It was the first time a reactor vessel was fabricated at the site, he claimed. The project was being implemented by the Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini), a joint venture of the IGCAR and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited.

The IGCAR would set up four more PFBRs at Kalpakkam, which would be ready by 2020, Dr Rao added.

UNI