An executive order in 1971 and a new name in 1985: the atomic research centre at Kalpakkam

Background

The second largest research and development establishment under the Department of Atomic Energy stands at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. It opened on April 30, 1971 as the Reactor Research Centre, brought into being by an executive order of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai, who was then Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission. In December 1985 it was renamed the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, and April 30 is still kept as its foundation day. Fast reactor technology is the centre's specialism. The technology development and design of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor were carried out there indigenously, while Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd, another undertaking under the same Department, built and commissioned the 500 MWe machine. That reactor attained first criticality on 06 April 2026, after the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board had issued clearance following a review of the safety of the plant systems. The reactor takes Uranium-Plutonium Mixed Oxide fuel with a blanket of Uranium-238 around the core, and is designed to use Thorium-232 in the blanket in time.