Kalpakkam nuclear power plant PFBR
Under construction India
Gross capacity
500MW
Kalpakkam nuclear power plant PFBR is a fast reactor unit at Kalpakkam nuclear power plant in India rated at 500 MW gross. It is under construction. Commercial operation began 1 Jan 2026.
Specification
| Reactor type | Fast reactor (FBR) |
|---|---|
| Model | Prototype |
| Size | Largeabove 300 MWe |
| Coolant | Liquid sodium or lead |
| Moderator | None |
| Gross capacity | 500MW |
| Net capacity (reference) | 470MW |
| Net capacity (design) | 470MW |
| Thermal output | 1,253MWt |
| NSSS vendor | not on record |
| Typical enrichment | 15–20% fissile, or plutonium |
Ownership & location
| Site | Kalpakkam nuclear power plant |
|---|---|
| Unit | PFBR |
| Country | India |
| Owner | Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd100% |
| Operator | Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam |
| Coordinates | 12.5531, 80.1733 |
Fuel chain for this unit
Fuel form
Mixed oxide or metallic fuel
Enrichment
15–20% fissile, or plutonium
Who makes this assembly
- TVEL Fuel Company Fast reactor fuel, including MOX
Upstream
Enriched fuel means this unit sits downstream of five conversion plants and four enrichment operators holding 88% of world capacity between the top three.
Fabricator capability is recorded against reactor type and model line, not against named units,
utilities do not publish fuel contracts. See the fuel chain.
Timeline
- 23 Oct 2004Construction start
- 6 Apr 2026First criticality
- 1 Jan 2026Commercial operation
Other units at Kalpakkam nuclear power plant
| Unit | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|
| Kalpakkam nuclear power plant FBR 1 | Announced | 600 |
| Kalpakkam nuclear power plant FBR 2 | Announced | 600 |
Other Prototype units
5 units worldwide share this model designation.
| Unit | Country | Status | Gross MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| BR3 nuclear power plant 3 | Belgium | Retired | 12 |
| Carolinas-Virginia Tube Reactor nuclear power plant | United States | Retired | 19 |
| KNK II nuclear power plant | Germany | Retired | 21 |
| Pathfinder nuclear power plant | United States | Retired | 63 |
Sources
- Global Nuclear Power Tracker, Global Energy Monitor, August 2026 release , CC BY 4.0 · retrieved 2026-09-06 · this unit last researched by GEM on 2026-06-18
- GEM.wiki entry (further reading) , CC BY-SA 4.0, linked, not quoted
How these sources are used, including the corrections applied on top of them and what is deliberately left blank · download the underlying data