The world's first plutonium-based Fast Breeder 500 MW Plant at Kalpakkam, taken up at a cost of Rs 3,000 crore, will be ready by 2010, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) Chairman SK Jain informed on Tuesday.
"India is the only country which has mastered this technology and pursuing the Fast Breeder Reactor," he told reporters in Bangalore.
Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd, for which Mr Jain was the Chairman and Managing Director, had been entrusted with the task of plant construction. The Civil works have already been taken up and equipment fabrication had started for the prototype plant. If it turns out to be a success, more Fast Breeder plants would be installed in the country.
Plutonium, the wastage obtained after Uranium is processed in nuclear power plants for producing energy, has the potential to produce 300,000 MW of power.
Mr Jain said the first unit of the 2 X 1,000 MW nuclear power project at Koodangulam in Tamil Nadu, taken up with Russian collaboration, would be ready by 2008 and the second unit after six months. The total cost of the project was Rs 12,500 crore.
To a question, he said large number of companies, especially from Canada, the United Kingdom and France, were coming forward to set up nuclear power plants in the country after talks were held between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Geroge W Bush during the latter's recent visit to India.
{{/usCountry}}To a question, he said large number of companies, especially from Canada, the United Kingdom and France, were coming forward to set up nuclear power plants in the country after talks were held between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Geroge W Bush during the latter's recent visit to India.
{{/usCountry}}Dialogues, though in the preliminary stage, were on, he added.