The status of india’s nuclear program

• Prime Minister witnessed the start of the process of core-loading the indigenous prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) at the Madras Atomic Power Station in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu

Key Highlights

• India Starts Fuel Loading for Second Stage of Nuclear Program

India's Three-Stage Nuclear Program:

• Aims to achieve energy security and sustainable development through nuclear power.
• Stage 1: Uses pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) fueled by natural uranium.
• Stage 2 (current): Reprocesses spent fuel from stage 1 to create plutonium for fast breeder reactors (FBRs).
• Stage 3 (future): Uses advanced heavy water reactors (AHWRs) that burn thorium-plutonium fuel and generate fissile uranium-233.

Significance of Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR):

• Marks India's entry into the second stage of its nuclear program.
• Makes India the second country (after Russia) to operate a commercial FBR.
• Demonstrates India's advanced nuclear technology and commitment to peaceful applications.
• FBRs are complex and many countries have abandoned them due to technical challenges.
• PFBR uses mixed oxide (MOX) fuel initially, transitioning to a thorium-uranium blanket for breeding future fuel.
• This project is significant for India's long-term goal of a thorium-based nuclear fuel cycle.