New Delhi: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has officially granted permission to start loading the nuclear fuel in the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR). With the approval of India’s nuclear regulator, the Department of Atomic Energy can now operate its first large “breeder reactor,” which will produce more nuclear fuel than it uses.
As planned by Homi Bhabha over seventy years ago, the 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor will mark India’s entry into the second phase of the country’s three-phase nuclear power program once it comes online. The development will allow using plutonium as a nuclear fuel, and more importantly, using thorium as an atomic energy resource. Experts have said that by tapping thorium as a fuel, India can finally achieve self-sufficiency in energy production. AERB’s approval allows for the initiation of power generation using the reactor. The authority conducted a detailed safety review of the reactor.
The board convened at Kalpakkam deliberated and approved the ‘First Approach to Criticality’. This included loading plutonium fuel into the reactor. The board also authorized the conduct of ‘Low Power Physics Experiments’ in the PFBR. The PFBR is located at Kalapakkam, Tamil Nadu.
