The Bharatiya Janata Party’s state president, K Annamalai, has called on Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin to provide clarity on the state government’s stance regarding the 500MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) project in Kalpakkam. This comes after DMK’s organizing secretary RS Bharathi reportedly stated that the project is not acceptable to the state government.
Expressing shock over the dissemination of what he termed as “wrong information” about the PFBR, Annamalai urged the Chief Minister to confirm whether Bharathi’s remarks represent the government’s official position. He emphasized the importance of the PFBR project, stating that it plays a crucial role in India’s energy security, particularly as the nation aims to transition to a $5 trillion economy within four years.
Annamalai underscored the significance of fuel autonomy for India’s economic growth, noting that the country currently relies on imports for petroleum, diesel, and coal. He highlighted the unsustainable nature of power generation through coal and emphasized the central government’s focus on transitioning towards renewable energy sources.
Addressing concerns about the safety of fast breeder reactor technology, Annamalai asserted its reliability and safety, citing successful implementations in countries like Russia. He pointed out that the Kalpakkam reactor has been operational for years without any significant issues, highlighting India’s recent milestone achievement of initiating core loading in the first indigenous PFBR.