Thorium-Based Nuclear Power
Context:
India’s nuclear strategy is fundamentally shaped by a resource constraint:
The country possesses limited uranium reserves but holds vast reserves of thorium.
Achieving energy independence requires transitioning to thorium-based nuclear power generation
The Three-Stage Nuclear Programme
Stage 1:
Use Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) fueled by natural uranium to generate electricity and produce plutonium as a byproduct.
Stage 2:
Use the plutonium from Stage 1 in Fast Breeder Reactors to multiply fuel and prepare for the final phase.
Stage 3:
Utilization of thorium to convert it into Uranium-233 (U-233) for long-term energy security.
Key Developments & Strategy:
The transition to thorium power is critical and requires building a sufficient inventory of fissile Uranium-233 (U-233).
This is achieved by irradiating thorium in thermal or fast nuclear reactors.
India now has a large PHWR capacity running on imported uranium.
This offers an opportunity to start producing U-233 by irradiating thorium alongside advanced fuels like HALEU (High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium).
Cost & Efficiency:
PHWRs are more efficient than Light Water Reactors (LWRs) in terms of the mined uranium needed for a given capacity.
While fuel fabrication costs for PHWRs can be higher due to lower burn-up, using enrichment or thorium can reduce these costs.
The fuelling cost (front end + back end) for a PHWR using HALEU-thorium fuel works out to be lower than using natural uranium.
Future Technologies:
The development effort must prioritize futuristic technologies such as metal fuel reactors, molten salt reactors, and high-temperature reactors while leveraging proven imported technologies for current niche demands.