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Background and Development:
- The project, initiated two decades ago, aims at developing India’s nuclear fuel cycle capabilities.
- Expected to be the second country after Russia with a commercial FBR, addressing technological challenges delayed the project.
- Aims to utilize India’s thorium reserves for electricity generation through a three-stage nuclear power program.
- The FBR plays a crucial role in converting ‘fertile material’ to ‘fissile material’ for efficient energy production.
Three-Stage Nuclear Program:
- First Stage: Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) use natural uranium and heavy water. Enhanced by imported Light Water Reactors (LWRs).
- Second Stage: Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) and associated facilities aim to multiply fissile material inventory.
- Third Stage: Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) based on the Thorium-Uranium-233 cycle.
FBR Technology and Fuel:
- Initially uses Uranium-Plutonium Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel.
- Plans to use thorium as a blanket to produce more fissile Uranium-233, key for the program’s third stage.
Implications for Energy Security:
- The combination of reactors from all stages is projected to ensure India’s long-term energy security.
- The transition to thorium utilization will commence once sufficient fissile material (U233 or Pu239) is available.
Next Steps and Future Goals:
- The ongoing core loading sets the path for utilizing thorium in significant quantities.
- India’s Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) targets a nuclear power contribution of 22,400 MWe by 2032, with plans for rapid construction of new reactors.
Why in news:
- The ‘core loading’ process at Kalpakkam’s Fast Breeder Reactor recently started which marks a pivotal achievement in India’s nuclear program. (Core loading is the process of placing nuclear fuel assemblies inside the core of a nuclear reactor.)
