Kalpakkam: The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Fast Breeder Test Reactor's (FBTR) first criticality on Saturday, marking a major milestone in India's nuclear energy journey.

The FBTR, a 40 MWt/13.6 MWe sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor with a mixed plutonium-uranium carbide core, achieved its first criticality in 1985. Developed indigenously, it has provided crucial operational experience and supported R&D on advanced fuels and materials for India's fast reactor programme, paving the way for the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Shri K.N. Vyas, Homi Bhabha Chair Professor and former Atomic Energy Commission Chairman, presided over the event and released a commemorative coffee table book on FBTR. He lauded the teams behind the project for advancing India's self-reliance in nuclear technology.

IGCAR Director Shri C.G. Karhadkar highlighted FBTR's consistent record of safe operation, while Shri S. Sridhar, Director (Reactor Facilities Group), paid tribute to past contributors. Senior scientists and former directors from the Department of Atomic Energy also participated.

A major scientific achievement was announced during the event—the successful separation of Phosphorus-32, a radioisotope produced from irradiated strontium sulphate pellets in FBTR, for use in radiopharmaceutical applications. The isotope was formally handed over to the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT).

A photo exhibition tracing FBTR's four-decade legacy of innovation and excellence was also inaugurated.