Nuclear

While the headlines of 2026 are dominated by the ephemeral noise of AI and election cycles, a silent, pool-type reactor in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, has quietly secured India’s energy sovereignty for the next millennium. On April 6, the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) achieved first criticality. This is not

India just took a massive, albeit quiet, step toward energy independence. The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam has reached criticality, making India only the second country after Russia to operate a commercial-scale fast breeder [PIB, 2026]. For the non-physicist, "criticality" sounds like a warning, but in