Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Oct 10 (IANS) India is planning to build 25 reactors in the next five years, a senior official said Sunday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the inaugural function of Asian Nuclear Prospects 2010, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) chairman and managing director S.K. Jain said: "India has 19 operational reactors now. The fourth reactor in Kaiga will go critical by November second week this year."

One unit of 2x1000MW Kudankulam nuclear power project will go critical by March 2011 and the second unit by December, he said.

Asked the reasons for the delay, he said: "NPCIL had issues with regard to design and supplies from Russia. Since it was not built in Russia, we had some issues with additional design features."

Jain said that the fuel will be loaded in the reactor by this December.

He said the third and fourth reactors in Kudankulam are expected to be cleared soon.

The 500MW prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) will go on stream by early or mid 2012, he said.

On the plans for new reactors, he said two more reactors will be built at Kakrapar (Gujarat) and in Rajasthan.

In addition, there is also principle approval of building 700MW pressurized heavy water reactors - two each in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh where land acquisition is on. The reactor project will be launched by March 2012 there, Jain said.