New Delhi

India will be the second country in the world after Russia to operate a commercial-level fast breeder reactor (FBR), said Union minister Jitendra Singh on Monday.

The minister was referring to the indigenously designed 500 MWe Prototype FBR at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, which achieved first criticality on April 6.

"This reactor marks the start of the second stage of India's three-stage nuclear power programme, using uranium-plutonium mixed oxide fuel to produce more fuel than it consumes. With this achievement, India moves toward leveraging its vast thorium reserves in the third stage of its nuclear strategy," said Singh.

The science and technology minister made the comments while addressing a workshop of MPs and MLAs on small modular reactors.

Currently, Russia is the only country operating commercial FBRs, with India in the advanced stage of commissioning its own.

While several nations have historically developed or operated experimental fast reactors,”specifically the USA, the UK, France, Japan, Germany, and China,”most of these programmes have shut down.

Singh said, "Only a limited number of countries have made advancements in fast breeder reactor technology, placing India in a distinguished global position in advanced nuclear capability."

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Nuclear energy will play a crucial role in India's clean energy transition and long-term sustainability goals, particularly in achieving the target of 100 GW nuclear power capacity by 2047, added the minister.