India is about to Put into Operation Fast Breeder Reactors

According to a report on the "Russia Today" TV website on October 25, a large nuclear reactor that will be put into operation in India this year is likely to become the country's most important source of renewable energy. The fast breeder reactor is one of a kind that uses specially designed thorium fuel rods.

This 500-megawatt nuclear reactor will be built in Kalpakkam on the Bay of Bengal and is part of India's "three-step" nuclear energy plan strategy. Fast breeder reactors are different from traditional nuclear power plants in that they produce more nuclear fuel than they consume during operation.

"These reactors are a bridge to the future and they can provide an almost unlimited supply of electricity," said Mikhail Chudakov, deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Director Yukiya Amano said: "Fast neutron reactors can extract 70% more energy than traditional reactors and are safer, while also exponentially reducing the long-term radioactive waste produced."

According to reports, the United States, Japan and France have been trying to develop their own fast neutron reactor technology, but have not been successful due to technical and safety reasons. India's rapid development requires the support of energy, and its research on fast neutron reactor technology has lasted for 27 years. At present, India has cooperated with the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) to develop a new generation of nuclear energy reactors and participated in Russia's fast neutron reactor research project.

Currently, the only commercial fast neutron reactor in operation in the world is the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant in the Ural Mountains of Russia. Russia's fast neutron reactor uses uranium, while India's uses thorium fuel rods.

According to reports, India has 25% of the world's thorium resource reserves, more than any other country. India's thorium reserves are estimated at 360,000 tons. Fast neutron reactors are one of India's long-term goals to build an energy storage and use cycle. Conventional nuclear reactors use a rare isotope of uranium called U-235, while most U-238 is never used. Fast neutron reactors can convert uranium U-238, considered nuclear waste, into usable energy and produce less waste than traditional nuclear reactors and are safer.