India opens world's first nuclear heat hydrogen facility at Kalpakkam using fast breeder reactor

India has inaugurated the world's first hydrogen production facility that uses nuclear reactor heat instead of electricity. The plant at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, uses the Copper-Chlorine thermochemical cycle powered by the Fast Breeder Test Reactor. It was developed by BARC and IGCAR as a technology demonstrator for carbon-free hydrogen production. Nuclear process heat can reach high temperatures needed for thermochemical hydrogen splitting without emitting CO2. This approach could scale up if advanced reactors are deployed widely. The facility builds on over 40 years of fast breeder reactor experience in India. For carbon markets and clean hydrogen targets, this is a notable technical milestone. The key question is whether the Cu-Cl cycle can achieve commercial efficiency and cost parity with electrolysis. The article does not provide cost or output figures.