Dr. Jitendra Singh Presents Government’s Roadmap for a Self-Reliant and Globally Competitive Nuclear Energy Ecosystem in Lok Sabha

Key Highlights:

• India is strengthening its indigenous nuclear energy ecosystem focusing on advanced reactors, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), domestic manufacturing, and thorium utilization.
• The Nuclear Energy Mission (Union Budget 2025-26) aims to expand nuclear energy capacity to 100 GWe by 2047.
• A two-pronged approach includes deploying large indigenous 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and developing SMRs.
• The goal is to operationalize at least five indigenous SMRs by 2033.
• The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, 2025, enables wider public and private participation in the nuclear sector.
• The SHANTI Act also grants statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).
• India is pursuing its Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme for optimal utilization of uranium and abundant thorium reserves.

Detailed Insights:

• BARC is developing indigenous SMR technologies, including the 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200) and 55 MWe SMR-55.
• BARC is also developing a High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGCR) for hydrogen production.
• IGCAR is advancing the second stage of India’s nuclear program through research on Sodium Cooled Fast Breeder Reactors.
• The government encourages Indian industry through knowledge-sharing and handholding for new SMR technologies and domestic vendor development.
• The SHANTI Act reforms envisage greater private entity participation in nuclear manufacturing, R&D, and supply chains while ensuring safety.
• The Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme involves natural uranium in PHWRs (Stage 1), plutonium in Fast Breeder Reactors (Stage 2), and thorium-bred uranium-233 (Stage 3).
• Thorium utilization R&D includes using Thoria pellets in PHWRs and fabricating uranium-233 for the KAMINI reactor.
• Measures include implementing the Nuclear Energy Mission, developing indigenous SMRs, strengthening manufacturing, and expanding the Isotope Production Reactor (IPR) for medical isotopes.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): Advanced nuclear reactors with smaller power output, designed for factory fabrication and modular construction.
• Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs): Nuclear reactors using heavy water as both coolant and neutron moderator, typically fueled by natural uranium.
• Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs): Nuclear reactors that produce more fissile material than they consume, utilizing plutonium and potentially thorium.
• Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme: India's long-term strategy to achieve energy independence using its vast thorium reserves.
• Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB): The independent regulatory body responsible for ensuring safety in nuclear and radiation facilities in India.