Chennai, Feb 1 (IANS): The Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Facility (FRFCF) coming up in Kalpakkam near here has got a funding boost of Rs 750 crore in the interim budget for 2019-20, up from Rs 650 crore estimated for 2018-19.

According to the budget papers, the outlay for FRFCF is Rs 750 crore in the interim budget for 2019-20 presented in Parliament by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday.

The purpose of FRFCF is to reprocess the spent fuel of the prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) that is being built at Kalpakkam and also for two other fast reactors expected to come up there.

Earlier, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) officials had told IANS that the FRFCF project would involve an outlay of Rs 9,600 crore and would employ 1,500-2,000 people.

When completed, this would serve as a fuel processing facility for fast breeder reactors. A fast breeder reactor is one which breeds more material for a nuclear fission reaction than it consumes. It is the key to India's three-stage nuclear power programme.