On 21 June 2026 the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) inaugurated the Versatile Deuterated Compounds Production Plant and commissioned the 24 kiloampere (24 kA) Prototype Sodium Cell at the Heavy Water Board Facilities (HWBF) in Vadodara. Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary DAE and Chairman AEC, led the events which were presented as strengthening indigenous technological and strategic material capabilities. The department characterised the facilities as critical to advanced scientific research and frontier technology programmes.

The Versatile Deuterated Compounds Production Plant is intended to enhance domestic capacity for specialised deuterated compounds required for scientific research, strategic applications and frontier technologies. It will focus on indigenous production of high-purity deuterated solvents to meet national requirements and reduce reliance on external sources.

The 24 kA Prototype Sodium Cell was described as a technological milestone towards indigenous industrial-scale production of nuclear-grade sodium for the Fast Breeder Reactor Programme. Developed through sustained research and engineering the facility supports efforts to secure strategic materials for the second stage of the country's three-stage nuclear power programme. Officials said indigenous sodium production would bolster operational readiness and supply chain resilience for future reactors and support the vision of AtmaNirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat.

The ceremony was attended by Shri K N Vyas, Homi Bhabha Chair Professor and former Secretary DAE and Chairman AEC; Shri V V S A Prasad, Chairman and Chief Executive of the Heavy Water Board; Shri K V Tale, Director (Operation/Technical) of the Heavy Water Board; and Shri Nitesh Mehta, Officer on Special Duty at HWBF Vadodara, together with senior officials, scientists, engineers and employees. The department underlined its continued commitment to innovation, self-reliance and excellence in strategic sectors and said the new facilities would strengthen national research and industrial capabilities. These milestones were presented as contributing to long-term national objectives in nuclear energy, materials research and the sustained development of indigenous technological infrastructure.