Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), the pivotal industrial arm of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) with the mandate to fuel the nuclear power programme of the country, has enhanced its capacity from 100 MT to 1,500 MT and is getting ready to increase production by another 500 MT from the upcoming Kota facility on its 50th anniversary.
Chairman and chief executive Dinesh Srivastava informed that the former Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman and now member Anil Kakodkar will be the chief guest for the golden jubilee celebrations scheduled to be held at the campus on June 9.
In an official release, he claimed that NFC is the “only organisation in the world to have a comprehensive manufacturing cycle from ore to core, involving processing of both uranium and zirconium streams under the same roof”.
NFC is not only producing fuel for all the operating nuclear power reactors but is also poised to meet the requirements of PHWRs (Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors) under construction and the proposed fleet mode reactors.
The institute has gained expertise in manufacturing world-class seamless tubes in various advanced grades of stainless steels and special alloys, nickel base super alloys, iron base super alloys, titanium alloys, and managing steels for strategic applications of nuclear, space and defence establishments, he explained.
Mr. Srivastava said that NFC has already automated 70% of operations, including the nuclear fuel fabrication and component fabrication surpassing the level of automations employed in foreign fuel manufacturing facilities.
The other significant achievements in recent times are the establishment of Zirconium Complex, a green field project at Pazhayakayal, Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu for augmenting zirconium sponge production by 250 TPY, supplying fuel assemblies for the Fast Reactor Programme and other core components both for the FBTR (Fast Breedor Test Reactor) and PFBR (Prototype Fast Breedor Reactor).
