Mumbai: Godrej Enterprises Group has reinforced its role in India’s strategic engineering landscape as the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam achieves criticality, marking a major advancement in the country’s civil nuclear programme.
This milestone highlights the growing importance of Godrej Enterprises Group in supporting India’s three-stage nuclear energy roadmap focused on long-term energy security and efficient fuel utilisation.
The Precision Engineering business of Godrej Enterprises Group played a pivotal role in this achievement by manufacturing and supplying critical components, including the Large Rotating Plug (LRP), Small Rotating Plug (SRP), and the Sodium Pump Shaft.
These high-precision components are integral to the functioning of the PFBR, underscoring Godrej Enterprises Group’s capabilities in delivering complex, first-of-its-kind engineering solutions.
The components supplied by Godrej Enterprises Group combine large-scale fabrication with advanced precision engineering. The rotating plugs, measuring up to 8 metres in diameter and weighing nearly 120 tonnes collectively, are designed to rotate 360 degrees and align with exact precision to enable fuel insertion into the reactor core.
Meanwhile, the 10-metre-long sodium pump shaft operates at over 500 RPM in a liquid sodium environment, demanding stringent control over balance, material integrity, and operational reliability.
Notably, Godrej Enterprises Group designed and manufactured these components domestically without any prior reference, making it a first-time-right achievement for a highly complex and unique nuclear application.
This accomplishment further strengthens Godrej Enterprises Group’s position in India’s high-precision manufacturing ecosystem.
Also Read: Kalpakkam: Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor Reaches First Criticality Milestone
The execution of these systems by Godrej Enterprises Group involved overcoming multiple engineering challenges. These included the development of specialised bearing systems, advanced surface treatment processes for friction control, and gear systems engineered to function under stringent operational and seismic conditions.
Godrej Enterprises Group: All solutions Developed Indigenously, Showcasing In-House Engineering and Manufacturing Strength
The components were supplied to The Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), a wholly owned enterprise of the Government of India, reinforcing Godrej Enterprises Group’s contribution to national infrastructure and strategic initiatives.
The PFBR achieving criticality marks the culmination of a 22-year effort and represents a key step in India’s three-stage nuclear programme.
Fast breeder reactors play a crucial role in enabling a closed fuel cycle by utilising plutonium derived from Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) while generating more fissile material. This process also facilitates the utilisation of India’s vast thorium reserves.
With approximately 846,000 tonnes of thorium reserves, India’s transition to fast breeder reactor technology is vital for scaling domestic, low-carbon, and self-sustaining energy production.
Typically, four PHWRs can fuel one fast breeder reactor, and India currently operates 19 PHWRs, with 10 additional 700 MWe units already sanctioned.
Through its continued involvement in such high-impact projects, Godrej Enterprises Group is advancing India’s energy self-reliance and strengthening its strategic industrial capabilities by delivering high-precision engineering solutions across critical sectors.
