Speaking about the progress at the actual site of the reactor, project director Prabhat Kumar said 90 percent of the civil construction for housing the nuclear power equipment is over.

The construction phase, he said, was lagging behind slightly in respect of the buildings that would house the electrical side and the sea water pump house. Yet, he added: 'We are confident of making up the time so that the reactor goes critical in 2011.'

The fast breeder reactor will generate power by recycling plutonium and depleted uranium recovered from the spent fuel of the the state-run Nuclear Power Corp of India. The technology would thus allow the nuclear power generation capacity to grow to 350,000 MW without needing any additional uranium, experts explained.

The Indian nuclear power market is estimated to touch $40 billion or Rs.20,000 crore by 2020. Atomic companies from the US, Russia, France and Kazakhstan, the four countries with which India has signed bilateral nuclear pacts, are vying to get a share of its nuclear pie.

British companies specialising in nuclear safety and research have also opened contacts with India.

Similarly, Sweden, a member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, is offering India its niche expertise in nuclear waste management and security as it eyes the country's civilian nuclear energy market.