Science TechnologySunday, 28 June 2026·Hindu Tamil Thisai
Kalpakkam’s first nuclear-powered hydrogen plant: India’s pilot for clean fuel production
In June 2026, the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam launched a hydrogen production plant using fast reactor heat and a copper-chlorine thermochemical cycle.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In June 2026, the Department of Atomic Energy launched the world’s first hydrogen production plant at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, using heat from a fast breeder reactor and a copper-chlorine thermochemical cycle.
Key specifics
- The plant was opened at Kalpakkam, near Chennai, in the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research.
- It uses heat from a fast breeder reactor, linking nuclear energy with hydrogen production.
- The process mentioned is the copper-chlorine thermochemical cycle, developed indigenously by BARC, Mumbai.
- Department of Atomic Energy Secretary Ajit Kumar Mohanty inaugurated the facility.
- The article says the method can support large-scale clean hydrogen production with lower pollution and reduced coal use.
Exam lens
Question type: Science & technology match-the-following, Kalpakkam–IGCAR, BARC–Mumbai, copper-chlorine cycle, June 2026 inauguration. TNPSC may ask which Indian facility became the world’s first nuclear-powered hydrogen production site.