India inaugurated its first nuclear heat powered hydrogen production facility at Kalpakkam on 26 June 2026, advancing clean energy technology demonstration significantly.

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• The facility at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research is the world’s first demonstration integrating nuclear process heat for hydrogen production technology validation.
• Fast Breeder Test Reactor provides high temperature sodium cooled nuclear heat essential for sustaining thermochemical hydrogen production experiments at Kalpakkam complex.
• Copper Chlorine thermochemical cycle developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre enables closed loop hydrogen generation through multi stage chemical reaction processes.
• Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research leads advanced nuclear reactor development fuel cycle studies and hydrogen energy innovation programs in India.
• The demonstrator validates integration of nuclear heat with chemical processes supporting long term carbon free hydrogen production technology pathways globally.
• Project strengthens India hydrogen energy roadmap under Department of Atomic Energy focusing on indigenous scalable clean energy production technologies development.
• Fast Breeder Test Reactor serves as primary heat source enabling testing and validation of thermochemical hydrogen production systems for future deployment.