India Launches World's First Nuclear Process Heat-Based Hydrogen Production Facility

On 26th June at Kalpakkam, a coastal town in Tamil Nadu, Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, the secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), formally opened a hydrogen production unit at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research. Instead of relying on grid electricity, it draws process heat directly from the Fast Breeder Test Reactor to drive a chemical reaction that separates hydrogen from water. The technology, called the copper-chlorine thermochemical cycle, was not imported or licensed from abroad. Scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai built it from scratch over years of patient laboratory work.

What is the Cu-Cl thermochemical cycle?

The Cu-Cl cycle works differently. It uses a looping series of chemical reactions, each triggered at specific temperatures, to extract hydrogen from water molecules. What makes nuclear reactors a natural fit here is that they generate enormous quantities of heat as a byproduct that often goes partially unused. 

Why Did India Choose Nuclear Energy to Power Green Hydrogen?

Dr. Mohanty, speaking at the inauguration, made clear this was not just a laboratory curiosity. His argument was straightforward: nuclear plants run continuously, rain or shine, unlike solar or wind. That reliability makes them uniquely valuable for hydrogen production, which needs steady, uninterrupted energy input to be economically viable. Pairing the two technologies, he said, opens a credible path toward large-scale clean fuel without the intermittency problem that dogs renewables.

Significance of India’s First Nuclear Process Heat-Based Hydrogen Production Facility

1. Hydrogen is increasingly seen as the missing piece in decarbonizing industries that electricity alone cannot easily reach, such as steel, cement, shipping, and long-haul freight. So this process drastically reduced the need for external electricity and fossil fuels. 
2. Domestically produced nuclear hydrogen could reduce India's exposure to imported fuel price swings while directly supporting its climate commitments.