India opens world's first nuclear-powered green hydrogen plant using fast breeder reactor heat

India has commissioned the world's first hydrogen production facility that uses nuclear process heat instead of fossil fuels or grid electricity. The plant, located at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, draws heat from the Fast Breeder Test Reactor to drive a Copper-Chlorine thermochemical cycle that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The process was developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and is currently a technology demonstrator. The approach avoids the carbon emissions typical of conventional hydrogen production, which relies on natural gas or electric heating. Nuclear heat can run continuously and at high temperatures, making it a potential source for large-scale clean hydrogen. Officials say the project supports India's net-zero by 2070 target and demonstrates how advanced nuclear systems can serve sectors like heavy industry and transport that are hard to decarbonize. Scale-up plans have not been announced. The facility is meant to validate the Cu-Cl process before any commercial deployment. Separately, the 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam recently achieved criticality, marking progress in India's three-stage nuclear programme.