In a major milestone in India’s civil nuclear energy programme, the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu achieved first criticality, the moment when a sustained nuclear fission reaction is established. Success came after more than two decades of scientific effort, marking the initiation of a sustained nuclear chain reaction. This PFBR is a 500 MWe (MegaWatt electrical) reactor built by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) at the Kalpakkam Nuclear Complex.
The milestone carries substantial global significance. Once fully operational, India will become only the second country in the world after Russia to operate a commercial fast breeder reactor.
It also marks the country’s decisive transition into the second stage of its three-stage nuclear programme, long envisioned by Homi J Bhabha, and brings India closer to its goal: a thorium-based energy economy.
For the unversed, criticality in nuclear terms refers to the point at which the reactor achieves a self-sustaining nuclear fission reaction, where the number of neutrons produced is sufficient to keep the reaction going without external intervention. Though it doesn’t make it fully operational to generate electricity, it is a crucial phase in commissioning a nuclear plant.
Importantly, the PBFR, which uses uranium-plutonium mixed oxide as fuel, is also designed to for future utilisation of thorium-232, which can be transmuted into uranium-233 to support the third stage of the nuclear power programme.
For decades, India’s nuclear ambitions have been constrained by limited domestic uranium reserves. The three-stage programme was designed to overcome this handicap by eventually harnessing thorium.
Why Odisha matters in the third stage
Incidentally, India has one of the largest thorium reserves in the world, placed in its coastal sands, including Odisha. The state’s long coastline holds significant deposits of monazite sands, rich in thorium-bearing minerals. While states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu have traditionally dominated discussions around these resources, Odisha’s reserves remain under-utilised.
As India moves towards stage III of its nuclear programme, these deposits will play a strategic role in its indigenous nuclear fuel cycle, making Odisha the bedrock of India’s clean energy future.
In fact, keeping this in mind, the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced dedicated Rare Earth Corridors in the mineral-rich coastal states of Odisha, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu in this year’s Budget.
Having said that, beyond its thorium reserves, the state can also emerge as a pivotal force in India’s nuclear ecosystem. With ports like Paradip and Dhamra, it can anchor logistics for heavy reactor components and nuclear materials. Its strong metallurgy and manufacturing base can support fabrication of critical equipment for reactors and fuel cycles. As the state already produces large amounts of steel and aluminium and has factories skilled in heavy engineering, these capabilities can be used to make key parts needed for nuclear plants such as reactor vessels, pipes, turbines, and fuel-handling equipment. Instead of importing these expensive components, India can manufacture more of them domestically in Odisha, which in turn will not only reduce costs and dependence on foreign suppliers but will also create jobs, boost local industry, and position the eastern state of the country as an important contributor to India’s growing nuclear energy programme.
Moreover, it can also position itself as a hub for skilled workforce and innovation by investing in research partnerships with institutions like Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, transforming from a resource supplier into a strategic nuclear powerhouse.
As India accelerates its nuclear push after Kalpakkam, the states that integrate industry, innovation and policy will lead. If Odisha acts decisively now, it will not just power its own growth, it will help power India’s clean, secure, and self-reliant future.
