IEA hails India as nuclear reactor achieves criticality

The International Energy Agency (IEA) congratulated India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the country’s scientists and engineers on a major technological milestone: the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam attaining criticality.

"This reactor will use much less nuclear fuel than other reactors and lay a pathway towards a closed fuel cycle," IEA posted on X.




Prime Minister Modi, in a post on X, called it a defining step in India’s civil nuclear journey, advancing the second stage of the nation’s nuclear programme. “This advanced reactor, capable of producing more fuel than it consumes, reflects the depth of our scientific capability and the strength of our engineering enterprise,” he said, adding that it represents a decisive step towards harnessing India’s vast thorium reserves.

Designed to use significantly less nuclear fuel than conventional reactors, the PFBR lays the pathway toward a closed fuel cycle, enhancing India’s energy security amid global uncertainties, including ongoing tensions in the Middle East.

Also Read: India moves a step closer to nuclear fuel self-reliance

Once commissioned, India will become the second country, after Russia, to operate a commercial Fast Breeder Reactor, showcasing comprehensive capabilities across the entire nuclear fuel cycle, according to an official release.

The development underscores India’s growing self-reliance in advanced nuclear technology, with the potential to generate more fuel than consumed while leveraging indigenous resources for sustainable and strategic energy growth.