India to become 2nd to operate commercial fast breeder reactor after Russia
With this achievement, India moves toward leveraging its vast thorium reserves in the third stage of its nuclear strategy.
After Russia, India will be the second country in the world operating a commercial-level fast breeder nuclear reactor for power generation.
Addressing a workshop of lawmakers in New Delhi today (28 April), India's Atomic Energy Minister Jitendra Singh said India has achieved a significant milestone by developing an indigenously designed 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at the Kalpakkam power plant in Tamil Nadu, which achieved first criticality on 6 April.
Developed by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), the reactor marks the start of the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear power programme, using uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuel to produce more fuel than it consumes.
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With this achievement, India moves toward leveraging its vast thorium reserves in the third stage of its nuclear strategy.
Once fully operational, India will be the second country in the world after Russia operating a commercial-level fast breeder reactor, he added.
At present, Russia is the only country operating commercial fast breeder reactors (FBRs), with India in the advanced stage of commissioning its own.
While several countries have developed or operated experimental fast reactors, including the USA, the UK, France, Japan, Germany and China, most of these programmes are currently shut down.
The minister emphasised that only a limited number of countries have made advancements in fast breeder reactor technology, placing India in a distinguished global position in advanced nuclear capability.
He further said nuclear energy will play a crucial role in India's clean energy transition and long-term sustainability goals, particularly in achieving the target of 100 GW nuclear power capacity by 2047.
Pointing to emerging requirements, Singh said sectors like artificial intelligence, data infrastructure and advanced manufacturing will increasingly depend on reliable and continuous sources of clean energy where nuclear power will be indispensable.
The minister said that under the recently launched "Nuclear Mission", with an allocation of Rs 20,000 crore, five small modular reactors are planned by 2033.
SMRs, he added, will be useful for captive power generation, particularly in industry, dense population zones, remote areas lacking grid connection, and repurposing thermal plants.
The minister said a balanced energy mix, combining nuclear, renewable and other clean energy sources, will be key to achieving the goal of net zero by 2070.
