{"id":41774,"date":"2025-04-22T19:36:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-22T14:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=41774"},"modified":"2025-04-22T19:36:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-22T14:06:23","slug":"indias-first-fast-breeder-nuclear-reactor-set-for-commissioning-by-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-04-2025\/indias-first-fast-breeder-nuclear-reactor-set-for-commissioning-by-2026","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s First Fast-Breeder Nuclear Reactor Set for Commissioning By 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS 3\/Science and Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India&#8217;s first prototype fast breeder reactor is being developed in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR)\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is a machine designed to produce more nuclear fuel than it consumes, using plutonium-239 (Pu-239) and uranium-238 (U-238) for energy production.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s first fast-breeder nuclear reactor<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The PFBR is being developed by <strong>Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (BHAVINI).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It will have a <strong>500 MW capacity<\/strong> and is expected to be commissioned in 2025-26, nearly two years after receiving approval from the nuclear regulator.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It marks the second stage of India&#8217;s three-stage nuclear program.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Functions\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It will recycle spent fuel from <strong>India&#8217;s Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs)<\/strong>, reducing radioactive waste.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It will also <strong>enable the transition to thorium-based reactors<\/strong> in the third stage of the nuclear cycle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It will use <strong>plutonium-based mixed oxide<\/strong> as fuel and liquid sodium as coolant.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is essential for India&#8217;s nuclear program as it will provide spent fuel for future thorium-based reactors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It plays a key role in reducing the inventory of radioactive waste and progressing towards a closed fuel cycle.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It will advance India\u2019s nuclear energy capabilities, especially in utilizing thorium for self-sufficiency in energy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Do you know?<\/strong><br>&#8211; India aims to produce 100 GW of electricity from nuclear power.<br>&#8211; Current nuclear power capacity in India is 8.18 GW, with additional 7.30 GW under construction\/commissioning.<br>&#8211; The total nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 22.48 GW by 2031-32.<br>&#8211; Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) plans to add 15.40 GW from indigenous PHWRs and 17.60 GW from Light Water Reactors with foreign cooperation.<br>&#8211; BHAVINI aims to contribute 3.80 GW through Fast Breeder Reactors.<br>&#8211; Remaining capacity will come from Small Modular Reactors, Bharat Small Reactors, and other advanced nuclear technologies with private sector collaboration.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion\u00a0 and Way Forward\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Despite delays, the PFBR is a critical part of India\u2019s nuclear power ambitions and is set to advance India\u2019s nuclear energy capabilities, especially in utilizing thorium for self-sufficiency in energy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source :BL<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">India&#8217;s first prototype fast breeder reactor is being developed in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>India\u2019s first fast-breeder nuclear reactor<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The PFBR is being developed by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (BHAVINI).<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It will have a 500 MW capacity and is expected to be commissioned in 2025-26, nearly two years after receiving approval from the nuclear regulator.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-04-2025\/indias-first-fast-breeder-nuclear-reactor-set-for-commissioning-by-2026\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41774","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41774","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41774"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41774\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41788,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41774\/revisions\/41788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41774"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41774"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41774"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}