Even as the Department of Atomic Energy is working towards the commissioning of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), officials are preparing a Detailed Project Report for the construction of two units of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) with the capacity of 600 MWe each in the nuclear complex at Kalpakkam, some 80 km south of Chennai.
“We are in the process of preparing the Detailed Project Report for FBRs 1 and 2. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board’s special team constituted for the FBRs is also reviewing the Site Evaluation Report,” said P. Chellapandi, Chairman and Managing Director of the Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI).
BHAVINI, a Central government enterprise, was established in 2004 to design, construct, commission and eventually operate the FBRs.
AERB clearance
Asked about the status of the PFBR, which is nearing completion, he said, “We are in the process of getting necessary clearances from the AERB. Once we get the clearance, we will work towards the criticality of the plant. Anyhow, we will try to complete within the deadline fixed for power generation in September 2016.”
The two units of FBRs would come up adjacent to their Prototype, which is about 97.64 per cent complete as on date. Besides the PFBR, Kalpakkam nuclear complex houses Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research and two units of Madras Atomic Power Station with a capacity of 220 MWe each.
No fly zone
Considering the importance of the nuclear complex, the Centre had in 2008 declared a no fly zone up to the height of 10,000 ft over the area within a radius of 10 km from nuclear installation.
