Four Decades On, India’s First Fast Breeder Reactor Stands as a Symbol of Nuclear Self-Reliance

C Shivakumar @ Chennai
 

India’s nuclear energy ambitions took centre stage on Friday as Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) in Kalpakkam celebrated 40 years since the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) first went critical — a milestone that shaped the country’s fast reactor programme and underscored its technological self-reliance.

Commissioned in 1985, the 40 MWt/13.6 MWe sodium-cooled reactor has been at the heart of India’s indigenous fast breeder efforts. Conceived as a test bed for advanced fuels and materials, it has generated decades of operational data that informed the design of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and future systems.

FBTR is unique in the global nuclear landscape — the only fast breeder reactor to use mixed plutonium-uranium carbide fuel. Its 70:30 plutonium carbide and uranium carbide blend offers superior thermal conductivity and high breeding potential, making it a key asset in India’s closed-fuel-cycle strategy.

“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, at the anniversary event. He also released a commemorative volume marking the milestone.

“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.

The celebrations also marked a scientific breakthrough: the first successful separation of Phosphorus-32 — a key radioisotope used in cancer therapy — from irradiated strontium sulphate pellets. The isotope was handed over to the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology, signalling FBTR’s expanding contribution beyond research.

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, while a photo exhibition traced FBTR’s technological milestones.

Four decades on, FBTR remains more than a test reactor — it is the bedrock of India’s fast breeder programme and a cornerstone of its long-term energy security strategy.

Factfile: Fast Breeders Around the World

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.