CHENNAI: The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam has marked 40 years since the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) first went critical on 18 October 1985, celebrating the milestone of India’s pioneering indigenous fast breeder programme.
The 40 MWt/13.6 MWe sodium-cooled reactor has remained central to India’s nuclear advancement, conceived as a test bed for advanced fuels and structural materials. Over four decades, it has generated vital operational data that has informed the design and development of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and future reactor systems.
FBTR is unique in the global nuclear landscape as the only fast breeder reactor powered by mixed plutonium-uranium carbide fuel. Its fuel composition – 70 per cent plutonium carbide and 30 per cent uranium carbide – provides superior thermal conductivity and high breeding potential, reinforcing its key role in India’s closed-fuel-cycle strategy aimed at long-term energy security.
“This reactor stands as proof of India’s ability to design and operate complex nuclear systems independently,” said K N Vyas, Homi Bhabha Chair Professor and former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India, during the anniversary event. He also released a commemorative volume marking the occasion.
“FBTR’s journey is synonymous with India’s mastery of fast reactor technology,” added S Sridhar, Director of Reactor Facilities Group, IGCAR. Director C G Karhadkar highlighted the reactor’s “four decades of safe and reliable operation” and its continuing strategic role in the country’s nuclear roadmap.
The celebrations also marked a scientific achievement with the successful separation of Phosphorus-32, a key radioisotope used in cancer therapy, from irradiated strontium sulphate pellets for the first time. The isotope was subsequently handed over to the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology.
Veteran nuclear scientists, including S A Bhardwaj, Dr C Ganguly, S C Chetal, Dr P R Vasudeva Rao, Dr S A V Satya Murty and Dr B Venkatraman, shared personal reflections on the reactor’s evolution, while a photo exhibition traced FBTR’s technological milestones and contributions to India’s strategic nuclear capabilities.
Factfile: Fast Breeders Around the World
The Monju Fast Breeder Reactor in Japan was decommissioned in 2016 after a sodium leak and fire led to a prolonged shutdown.
Rapsodie in France, a pioneering sodium-cooled reactor, operated for 15 years before being decommissioned in 1983.
