Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi hails milestone as India’s first indigenous fast breeder reactor attains criticality
- IBEF
- April 8, 2026
Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi celebrated an important landmark in India's nuclear program as the country’s Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam attained criticality. The event is considered a critical phase in the second phase of the country's three-stage nuclear program and is aimed at enhancing India's nuclear fuel sustainability for decades to come. The 500 MWe reactor, constructed by the Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI), produces excess fuel compared to the amount used, making fuel utilisation more efficient and paving the way for India's thorium-based nuclear energy generation in phase III of India's nuclear plan. The achievement also highlights the depth of domestic scientific and engineering capability, with contributions from over 200 Indian industries, including MSMEs, reinforcing the Aatmanirbhar Bharat push in strategic technologies.
Achievement of this milestone would be a major boost for India’s future capability of baseload energy production from non-polluting sources. Following the successful completion of all processes, India would be the second nation to have an operational commercial fast breeder reactor, besides Russia, which would further cement India’s reputation for excellence in advanced nuclear science. The reactor uses fuel consisting of a mixture of uranium and plutonium oxides, whereas the blanket material of uranium-238 assists in generating more fissile fuels by transmutation. Eventually, the application of thorium-232 in producing uranium-233 would help tap into India’s abundant resources of thorium and contribute to the third stage of the nuclear programme. The attainment of criticality is a crucial step before full commissioning and eventual grid integration, strengthening India’s clean energy diversification and strategic autonomy in the nuclear fuel cycle.
Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.
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