From OilPrice, April 10:
- India's fast breeder reactor in Tamil Nadu achieved criticality earlier this month, making it self-sustaining and only the second commercial plant of its kind in the world.
- The 500-megawatt plant advances India's goal of reaching 100 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2047, up from roughly 9 gigawatts today.
- While the milestone is significant, experts warn India's 'all of the above' energy strategy may need to become more targeted as demand grows.
India has reached a milestone in its nuclear energy program through its state-of-the-art fast breeder reactor, signalling a major step forward for the clean energy transition in the world’s most populous country. The country’s most advanced nuclear reactor reached criticality earlier this month, meaning that the nuclear chain reaction powering the plant is self-sustaining. This breakthrough will ultimately allow India to import far less uranium to power its nuclear program, and can be adapted to use domestic thorium reserves for fuel in a win-win for the subcontinent’s energy security and autonomy.
When the plant comes online fully, it will be only the second commercial breeder plant of its kind in the world. The other is in Russia. These plants could change the nuclear landscape completely, as they are capable of producing more fissile material (in essence, nuclear fuel) than they consume. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the achievement as “a proud moment for India” and “a defining step” in advancing India’s nuclear program.
“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. It is a decisive step towards harnessing our vast thorium reserves in the third stage of the programme,” Modi said in a post on X on Monday....
....MUCH MORE
As noted introducing a July 2019 post:
Energy key to luring India into US Indo-Pacific strategyWay back in 2010 we posted "India Orders Firms to "Scour the Earth" for Energy Supplies as President Obama Heads Over". For India, energy really is the key....
By September 2021 there was a hint of sadness
"Experimental reactor could hand China the holy grail of nuclear energy":
This article is a bit hyperbolic but the fact China is getting close to firing it up is a pretty big deal.
I wish India were still pressing ahead. Fifteen years ago I would have bet on thorium reactors tripling India's GDP over a few decades but they decided to stick with coal....
But, in September 2025 it was - "India May Finally Be Ready for Its Atomic Age"
