Heavy Water Board (HWB), a constituent unit under Department of Atomic Energy, is primarily responsible for production of Heavy Water (D₂O) which is used as a 'moderator' and 'Coolant' in the nuclear power as well as research reactors. HWB is successfully operating seven Heavy Water Plants in the country. HWB has mastered the complex production technology using two chemical exchange processes viz. (H₂S-H₂O) bithermal process and NH₃-H₂ monothermal process. India is the second largest manufacturer of heavy water in the world, and perhaps the only country which has mastered both these state-of-the-art processes to meet the heavy water requirements of the Indian nuclear power reactors.The plants based on Ammonia-Hydrogen (NH₃-H₂) exchange process are linked to the nitrogenous fertilizer plants for synthesis gas feed. A pilot plant, for alternate technology, of Water Ammonia (H₂O-NH₃) exchange, which will make the ammonia based plants independent of fertilizer plants, was successfully commissioned at Baroda, Gujarat and scaling up of this plant is now in hand. Indigenously developed hydrogen sulphide as well as ammonia based plants have shown very good performance in the last few years. By virtue of the adopted safety policy, all Heavy Water Plants have had a very good safety records.

        The main objective of HWB was to become self sufficient in production of Heavy Water, but it has also exported 100 metric tonnes of heavy water to South Korea in 1995-96. The Board is now proud of announcing its capability to supply heavy water of any specification as per demand from anywhere in the world !

        Production of Solvent Di-2-Ethyl Hexyl Phosphoric Acid (D2EHPA) has been successfully started at Heavy Water Plant, Talcher, Orissa. The process is indigenously developed by our engineers in consultation with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and now, after achieving the product of desired specifications, Heavy Water Board is glad to offer the product to industries worldwide.

        Besides the mainstream job of heavy water production, Board has opened other avenues for research on other uses of heavy water and energy conservation. It has also started offering value added services to customers.

        Today, having made its presence felt on the World Wide Web, HWB would like to go back in the history of HWB and feels it is very much appropriate to utilise this podium for thanking all those big and small people who shaped the coveted board.