India’s nuclear leap: Why its fast breeder reactor success matters

India’s most advanced nuclear reactor has reached a self-sustaining stage that marks a major leap for the country’s atomic energy programme, and takes it a step closer to cutting dependance on uranium.

The prototype fast breeder reactor (PBFR) at Kalpakkam in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu reached criticality – the stage at which a nuclear chain reaction can continue on its own – on Mon...