India advances closed fuel cycle with Kalpakkam reactor

India has managed a breakthrough in advanced nuclear technology, with its prototype fast breeder reactor (FBR) reaching “criticality,” a stage where a self-sustaining chain reaction begins, as per a press release by the Department of Atomic Energy.

How it works: The 500 MW reactor at the coastal town of Kalpakkam in southern India produces more fissile fuel than it consumes by converting uranium into plutonium. The FBR enables reuse of spent fuel and lays the groundwork for thorium-based reactors which in turn will increase fuel efficiency of the nuclear plants.

Why it matters: For India, which relies on imported uranium, this makes fuel recycling critical and cuts external dependence. While the country holds limited uranium, it has over a quarter of the world’s thorium reserves, with this technology lending incentive to tap its vast domestic reserves.

The advancement puts India in a top technological cohort, with Russia being the only other country operating a commercial FBR. As Gulf states expand civil nuclear capacity to diversify from hydrocarbons, India’s closed-cycle expertise could position it as a future partner to the MENA region in fuel services and nuclear cooperation.

Kudos: The International Energy Agency hailed India on the breakthrough, calling it “an important technological achievement” in a post on X.