India, May 27 -- On April 6, 2026, India's 500 MWe (Megawatt electric) Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, reached "first criticality" - the initiation of a self-sustaining, controlled nuclear chain reaction. This monumental achievement pushes India into the second stage of its pioneering three-stage nuclear energy programme and positions the country as a global leader in advanced breeder reactor technology.

Completed and commissioned in March 2024, the reactor successfully achieved first criticality just thirteen months later - the initiation of a sustained, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.

Designed by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research and built by BHAVINI, a Government of India enterprise ...