India's nuclear energy programme is entering a defining new phase with the successful commissioning of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), growing international partnerships, and a renewed policy emphasis on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and private-sector participation. As India is seeking to meet its rising energy demand, fulfil its climate commitments, and strengthen its strategic autonomy, nuclear energy has re-emerged as a long-term development strategy. Illustra

India is one of the fastest-growing energy markets on the planet, while being the world’s third-largest consumer of crude oil and the second-largest importer. Yet for a country whose economy depends substantially on imported oil, the strategic reserves portray quite an alarming story, a vision where infrastructure has grown but not quite fast enough. Illustration by The Geostrata THE SCALE OF DEPENDENCE To understand why India’s oil storage matters, it is imperative to first