Nuclear Power

Construction of Madras Atomic Power Station begins at Kalpakkam

Work began on the Madras Atomic Power Station at Kalpakkam, India's first indigenously built nuclear power station.

Reactor Research Centre set up at Kalpakkam

An order by Vikram Sarabhai set up the Reactor Research Centre at Kalpakkam, which later became the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research.

First unit of Madras Atomic Power Station reaches full power

At Kalpakkam, MAPS-1, the first nuclear power reactor India built largely on its own, reached full-power operation.

Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalpakkam reaches criticality

India's Fast Breeder Test Reactor at Kalpakkam reached first criticality, making India the seventh nation able to build and run a breeder reactor.

Second unit of Madras Atomic Power Station commissioned

The second 220 MW unit of the Madras Atomic Power Station at Kalpakkam was commissioned, completing the two-unit station.

India and the Soviet Union sign the Kudankulam nuclear agreement

Rajiv Gandhi and Mikhail Gorbachev signed an agreement to build two nuclear reactors at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district.

Protests against the Kudankulam nuclear plant

Fishing villages around Idinthakarai led a sustained movement against the Kudankulam nuclear plant, which nonetheless began operating in 2013 and 2014.

Kudankulam reactor 1 connected to the grid

Following years of delay and protest, the first VVER-1000 reactor at Kudankulam was synchronised with the power grid.

Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam reaches criticality

India's 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam achieved first criticality on 6 April 2026.