India opens world's first nuclear-powered hydrogen plant at Kalpakkam using reactor heat and copper-chlorine cycle

India has started up a first-of-its-kind hydrogen production facility at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Kalpakkam. The plant uses heat from a fast breeder test reactor to drive a copper-chlorine thermochemical cycle, splitting water into hydrogen without fossil fuels. The Department of Atomic Energy says the project is a technology demonstrator meant to prove the concept works at scale. The Cu-Cl cycle was developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai. Unlike electrolysis, which needs electricity, this process uses high-temperature heat directly from the reactor. That could make hydrogen cheaper and more efficient if the approach is scaled up. India has run the FBTR for over 40 years, so the reactor side is well understood. This is still a demonstration plant, not a commercial facility. The key question is whether the thermochemical cycle can maintain efficiency and durability over long runs. If it works, nuclear hydrogen could become a real option for hard-to-decarbonize sectors like steel, fertilizers, and heavy transport. The government is framing this as a step toward carbon-free hydrogen production.