Fast Breeder Nuclear Reactor at Kalpakam Takes ‘Critical’ Leap Forward

Marking a significant step forward in India’s nuclear power programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, via a post on X, late on Monday (April 6, 2026), said that the prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Chennai, had achieved ‘criticality.’ This means that the nuclear reaction in the reactor had become safely self-sustaining and was on its way to being able to produce electricity.

“Today India takes a defining step in its civil nuclear journey advancing the second stage of its nuclear programme…the PFBR at Kalpakkam has attained criticality…it is a decisive step towards harnessing our vast thorium reserves,” Mr. Modi posted.

While it will be some months before the PFBR is powered up to its full capacity and even longer it produces useful electricity — multiple experiments have to be conducted at low power to check if it is running as expected which must be evaluated by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), which must give its go-ahead for commercial power operation – this is the beginning of the second stage of India’s nuclear programme.

Since it was first formally approved as a project by the government in 2003, it has taken over two decades to reach this stage.

PFBR as a bridge

India’s nuclear reactors are heavily dependent on importing enriched uranium. India’s three-stage programme, conceived in the 1950s, envisages being able to be independent of imports and be energy secure through the use of thorium, of which has vast stores. The PFBR development serves as an essential bridge.

“This is a historic moment,” Anil Kakodkar, Member, Atomic Energy Commission and former head of the Department of Atomic Energy told The Hindu, “What this means is that we are now on our way to extract 80-100 times more energy from a given quantity of uranium.”

The PFBR is a 500 MWe sodium-cooled, pool-type fast breeder reactor designed by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) and built by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), both operating under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).

Source:- www.thehindu.com