Small Modular Reactors the right choice to meet India’s growing energy needs

India is spreading its bets to meet its growing energy requirements

India’s rapidly growing energy needs will have to be met from a variety of sources. This may be a truism, but it was recognition of this simple fact that prompted former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to steer the India-US civil nuclear deal to conclusion in 2008 despite overwhelming odds.

Singh realised that domestically-produced nuclear power could play a pivotal role in India’s energy mix and reduce reliance on expensive imports. Undoubtedly, crude oil and coal will retain a dominant role for a long time despite the need to cut carbon emissions. Renewable energy has also made big strides and currently accounts for 40 per cent of power generating capacity. Yet expanding the role of nuclear power will ensure that transition to zero carbon emissions by the target of 2070 becomes an easier process.

While the issue has been under discussion for quite a while, it is now at a take-off stage. This has become possible as the India-US civil nuclear deal is finally yielding concrete results after a gap of 16 years. The US Department of Energy last month cleared an American firm, Holtec International to design and build small modular nuclear reactors in India in collaboration with L&T, Tatas, and Holtec Asia. There remains procedural hurdles as amendments are needed to Indian laws to facilitate the smooth entering of foreign firms into India’s nuclear sector.

With the government committed to carrying out these amendments speedily, however, it looks as if nuclear reactors are on the way to becoming a significant element of the country’s energy mix. The collaboration with the US company takes place just as tie ups are being concluded with France and Russia to produce small modular reactors (SMRs). A letter of intent on developing SMRs and advanced nuclear reactors was entered into with France in February while the Maharashtra government concluded an agreement in March for collaboration in manufacturing thorium based SMRs with Rosatom of Russia.

SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that have power capacity ranging from 30 to 300 MW per unit. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) this is about one-third the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors. It says that SMRs which can produce a large amount of low-carbon electricity are not only physically smaller than conventional plants but modular, making it possible for them to be factory-assembled and transported as a unit to a location for installation.

Now there are just a few countries that are manufacturing SMRs, but India is clearly seeking to become one of this elite group. Along with foreign tie-ups, it recently launched a Nuclear Energy Mission for research and development of SMRs with an outlay of Rs 20,000 crore. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India are also designing and developing Bharat Small Modular Reactors (BSMR) of 200 MW capacity. These may take five to six years to be commissioned after project sanction.

Given the considerable lead time needed to implement these projects, the urgency now being shown to go ahead in the area of SMRs is a welcome development. The target for nuclear energy capacity has been pegged at 100 GW by 2047 from the existing level of 8.5 GW. This may be an ambitious target, but it is achievable largely by relying on SMRs.

What makes the recent initiatives on nuclear energy even more interesting is the move towards thorium-based SMRs. The agreement with State-owned Russian firm Rosatom envisages development of an SMR based on thorium rather than conventional uranium. So far thorium-based reactors are still in the experimental stage, but have many advantages. This includes the fact that it is difficult to weaponise them. They also produce less nuclear waste. A major benefit is that India has sizable thorium reserves, thus ensuring greater energy security by reducing dependence on imports for other fissile materials like uranium. In the backdrop of China suspending rare earths exports, it becomes even more imperative to ensure that critical raw materials are easily available within the country.

The role of nuclear energy needs to expand rapidly as India moves towards the goal of zero carbon emissions. It has several advantages even over renewable energy since it is available around the clock and is not constrained by weather conditions. With thorium entering the picture, it is even being viewed as a sustainable energy source for the future. China have already set up experimental thorium-based reactors, and India needs to catch up to create a bouquet of energy options. In the light of challenging geopolitical conditions, it would be wise to take up this task on a priority basis.

Sushma Ramachandran is a senior journalist.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.