What happened

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) announced continued promotion of an indigenous thorium-based three-stage nuclear power programme focused on long-term energy security and nuclear fuel cycle self-reliance. DAE frames the programme around a closed fuel cycle, where spent fuel from one stage is reprocessed to extract fissile material for use as fuel in the next stage. DAE also highlights an explicit milestone associated with entry into the second stage and details ongoing thorium-related research and development.

Background and earlier position

DAE’s three-stage approach starts with Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) using natural uranium, which generate plutonium in spent fuel. DAE states that plutonium extracted from spent fuel of domestic PHWRs is used as fuel for Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs), representing the second stage. DAE describes the third stage as thorium utilisation by using uranium-233 (U-233) bred from thorium-232 (Th-232), supported through thorium fuel irradiation and reprocessing steps.

What changed now

DAE provides two near-term updates. First, DAE reports that the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) attained first criticality on 6 April 2026, which DAE presents as the marker for India’s entry into the second stage. Second, DAE reiterates thorium utilisation pathways through thorium oxide (Thoria) pellet use in initial PHWR cores and irradiation of Thoria-based fuels in Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) research reactors, followed by reprocessing to obtain U-233 and fabrication of fuel for the KAMINI reactor at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam. DAE further points to molten-salt reactor (MSR) as a suitable long-term technology for thorium utilisation and states that MSR R&D work is in progress.

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