Potential sites chosen for future N-reactors: Official

"The ten-member site selection committee has chosen places in four states as potential sites for its future reactors including CFBRs," IGCAR's new director Dr S C Chetal told reporters here. Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research also announced that its PFBR (prototype fast breeder reactor) built by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (Bhavini) at Kalpakkam, about 50 km from Chennai, will be operational from 2013.

The Rs 5677 crore 500 MW PFBR project, which is nearing completion, will produce one MW of electricity at a cost of Rs 11 crore, project director Prabhat Kumar said. DAE is also planning to come up with six 1000 MW CFBRs (commercial fast breeder reactors) with two of them at Kalpakkam. "We have completed the layout for six CFBRs," Chetal said.

"These two CFBRs will come up a some two hundred metres south of the PFBR site in Kalpakkam campus," another IGCAR source said. The rest will be two twin reactors for which the location has not been finalised.

Replying to queries on safety concerns in PFBR, the senior officials said, "We have two preparatory committees, one each from IGCAR and Bhavini." IGCAR is not doing economics at the cost of safety, they added.

Asked about the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd's officials' visit to Madras Atomic Power Station recently, its station director K Ramamurthy said, "NPCIL has taken data and the review is going on. The report on that is expected soon," he said but did not elaborate.

The department is also awaiting Atomic Energy Regulatory Board's clearance for 300 MW Atomic Heavy Water (AHW) reactor, he added.