India Nuclear News and Discussion 4 July 2011

[Amber G.]

We are looking to build 200 SMR nuclear reactors in India

The specific claim of building 200 SMR nuclear reactors in India could be a little hype, IMO, but it likely reflects an aspirational projection or long-term strategic goal by Holtec . The figure suggests ambition toward scaling up nuclear infrastructure, complementing India’s r goal of expanding nuclear capacity to support energy security and decarbonization.

Few indicators for this ambition:

- India has begun opening its nuclear sector to private participation, as evident from recent policy moves and corporate interest.
- India’s 2025 budget includes a ₹200 billion Nuclear Energy Mission, aiming for at least five SMRs by 2033.

[KL Dubey]

We are looking to build 200 SMR nuclear reactors in India

The specific claim of building 200 SMR nuclear reactors in India could be a little hype, IMO, but it likely reflects an aspirational projection or long-term strategic goal by Holtec . The figure suggests ambition toward scaling up nuclear infrastructure, complementing India’s r goal of expanding nuclear capacity to support energy security and decarbonization.

Few indicators for this ambition:

- India has begun opening its nuclear sector to private participation, as evident from recent policy moves and corporate interest.
- India’s 2025 budget includes a ₹200 billion Nuclear Energy Mission, aiming for at least five SMRs by 2033.

With the current state of India-US relations, there may be preference for suppliers from France and Russia, and the indigenous Bharat SMRs. We had prior discussions on this thread...several more companies (indian and foreign) are now involved in creating the ecosystem, which de-risks this emerging technology.

[Amber G.]

NTPC to mark nuclear power entry with 2,800 Mw project next month

Marking its entry into the nuclear power domain, state-owned power generator NTPC Ltd will next month lay the foundation stone for its 2,800 megawatt (MW) nuclear power project at Banswara in Rajasthan.

The project will house four pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) of 700 MW capacity each.

“We have decided, rightfully, we will go very aggressive on nuclear. We plan to add 30 gigawatt (GW) nuclear power capacity by 2047,” NTPC Chairman and Managing Director Gurdeep Singh said at the BloombergNEF Summit here.

“The foundation stone laying as part of the JV project with NPCIL should happen next month. It is as close as that,” he added.

[Amber G.]

Book reveals how Ajit Doval uncovered Pakistan's nuclear secrets disguised as beggar
Ajit Doval, working undercover in Pakistan in the early 1980s, exposed the country’s secret nuclear programme by disguising himself as a beggar and collecting scientists’ hair from a barber shop that tested positive for uranium traces.

[Tanaji]

I really do think the SMRs are not going to be successful in an Indian context. This has nothing to do with the underlying technology. I have no doubt they will be safer, faster to install and cheaper to manufacture than conventional ones. However they are not “nuclear batteries” on the lines of RTG that you can say , bury for 20 years and forget about it. We will get there but aren’t there yet. They will still require land acquisition, exclusion zones, security etc etc.

It is an extremely difficult ask to acquire land in India. And when you mention “nuclear” a lot of vested interests get involved to scuttle it. Heck, there is opposition to even a solar mega plant in Maharashtra. It will be more advantageous to build more dense 1GW+ reactors in our context. Sure there is a minuscule amount of space for SMRs - but they aren’t going to be popular..

[gakakkad]

^^ there are over a dozen powerplants under construction already . if its possible to acquire land for lwr/fbr/pwhr than it should be even easier to do so for smr. i think things have improved behind the scenes but more work needs to be done. one seemingly unrelated thingy that 'll have a hige impact in many areas is the end of naxalism. people might remember the kudankulam protests. they were organized by naxal affiliates. a lot of the ngo types have vanished last few years. many lessons have been learned as well.

what needs to happen is the barc /aec need better coordination. they have solid scientists and if u look at any major nook journal these dins the best papers come from india . however there is a massive problem of scaling and commercialization. thats what they need to work on.

[A_Gupta]

^^^ is land acquisition for solar panel farms less or more different than land acquisition for SMRs?

[Tanaji]

^^^ is land acquisition for solar panel farms less or more different than land acquisition for SMRs?

The main difference is NPP acquisition is always done by the government as NPCIL is fully owned public sector body.
Solar plants can be privately owned and captive as well.

In the MH case, it is simple rent seeking. Any ordinary local nobody politico will start an agitation to raise his profile unless he gets his hafta.

[Amber G.]

^^^ Few comments:
Adding to Tanaji's:
Today - Land acquisition for SMRs in India is just as hard as for full-scale nuclear, arguably harder per MW due to exclusion zones.

Future: If (big if) safety regulations evolve (smaller EPZs), and if India allows private-sector or PPP-driven SMR projects on industrial/brownfield land, acquisition could become .. easier...have to see years down the line:

-- At pressent Present Situation (2025) (From reputablesoures)

Legal/Procedural Framework
- All nuclear power in India is under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962. Only the Government of India (via NPCIL or BHAVINI) can build and operate nuclear plants.

- Land acquisition for nuclear plants follows the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (LARR), plus special security and environmental clearance requirements.
For SMRs specifically (Even though SMRs are smaller, they still require):
- Exclusion zones (a buffer area around the reactor, typically ~1.5 km in India).
- Emergency planning zones (~5–16 km, depending on reactor type).
- Security perimeters (armed guarding, fencing, restricted access).

And as Tanaji said Public perception: Anything labeled “nuclear” attracts much more scrutiny, opposition..
Comparison to Sol - Solar projects can be privately initiated and often involve direct lease arrangements with farmers or local communities.

Nuclear projects must be centralized, state-driven, and therefore more prone to political delays, protests, and litigation.

(The “Maharashtra solar opposition” you mentioned was more about local rent-seeking; nuclear projects face both rent-seeking and ideological/environmental resistance)

My hope for the future:
-Policy/Governance Changes - (If the government amends the Atomic Energy Act to allow public-private partnerships in nuclear (especially SMRs)
- Clearer exclusion zone guidelines for advanced SMRs (e.g., passive safety designs with smaller EPZs) could shrink the land requirement significantly.


- If SMRs are marketed as “industrial decarbonization tools” (for steel, fertilizers, hydrogen, data centers, etc.), sited inside or near existing industrial complexes, opposition could weaken.

Demonstration of first successful SMRs in friendly countriesmight help India relax rules over time.
Also as some are thinking
-If SMRs are placed on brownfield sites (existing coal plant sites being retired, or within larger NPCIL campuses), land acquisition hurdles drop sharply.

[Cyrano]

If the hoops to jump through are nearly the same, then why not build a full scale NPP?!

[Amber G.]

Because India needs both gigawatt plants and SMRs for energy security. We are investing in SMRs not as an alternative to large NPPs, but to add flexible, scalable nuclear capacity that supports energy security and decarbonization where big plants aren’t practical.

[Amber G.]

In India-Japan economic forum - Nuclear energy took the spotlight - India announces clean energy roadmap with private engagement-

-India said it targets 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047.
Some stat:
Number of operational nuclear reactors:

USA: 94
China: 57
France: 57
Russia: 36
South Korea: 26
India: 21
Canada: 17
Ukraine: 15
Japan: 14
UK: 9
....
...
Pakistan 6

[Amber G.]

Looks like this thread on nuclear physics is getting mined by AI bots and others. I’ve even seen bits from here show up in some serious media/write-ups.

Anyway, I recently caught a KBC episode. (I don’t usually watch it, but I happened to see a few in US while visiting some friends.) Funny enough, one of the questions reminded me of something I had asked here.

What I asked here was:

^^^ Interesting learnings from last question..thanks..
FWIW: Again

Just for fun — Can you answer this without looking it up?:

Q1 Which Indian physicist, played a key role in applying nuclear physics to national planning, and was instrumental in the early conceptualization of India's atomic energy program — before Homi Bhabha formalized it?

(a) D.M. Bose
(b) K.S. Krishnan
(c) D.D. Kosambi
(d) M.N. Saha

e

The question (I think 50,00,000) was something like :

Which of these renowned Indian scientists studied under Sir J.J. Thomson, the discoverer of the electron, in Cambridge?...Made contributions to cosmic rays and neutron physics?

The options were:
A) S. N. Bose
B ) D.M. Bose
C) J. C. Bose
D) R.C. Bose

Most/many were amused (and were not quite sure of an answer) to see last name 'Bose' for all..People were impressed that my grand-son (9 yr old - who is used to my questions like this ) knew the answer (and could tell what other other Bose's were famous for - Satyen Nath Bose, Jagadish Chandra Bose, Debendra Mohan Bose, Raj Chandra Bose)

Anyway I was quite impressed that I was able to see similar *good* science questions in KBC.

[Amber G.]

America’s first modular nuclear reactor begins construction near Idaho lab
Aalo-X marks the first sodium-cooled reactor built in the US in over 40 years, targeting rapid AI energy demand.
Aalo-X -- a significant shift toward factory-made, scalable nuclear solutions tailored to new energy demands—like those from AI infrastructure. If successful, it could catalyze faster, more flexible deployment of SMR's.

[Prem Kumar]

https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/0 ... ium-dream/

CleanCore (founded by Indian-American) will be allowed to sell their Thorium fuel that can be used in India's PHWR. Less radioactive waste, more complete burn up of Uranium and less proliferation risk (which frankly we dont worry about from Indian reactors)

This is also a low-risk approach because its not a new reactor design. Only a new type of fuel

What surprises me is that, after 50 years of talks about the 3 stage cycle, we havent brought out innovations like this, especially with our large Thorium reserves. The industry seems too regulated, risk-averse and slow for its own good.

China has also tested a Thorium reactor

[Amber G.]

^^^ Thanks for the above article from MIT-tech-review.

(There was some discussion about ANEEL previously too.)

Adding to what you posted above, and as said in the above article ..(and mentioned before too):

- ANEEL fuel is a thorium–HALEU hybrid that offers 4× burnup, lower waste, and safety improvements, while being compatible with India’s PHWR fleet. It’s a practical pathway to deploy thorium in the near term, without waiting for advanced breeder reactors to mature.

(ANEEL allows thorium utilization in existing PHWRs now ( instead of waiting FBR's or AHWR[s) and I think it could accelerate India’s Stage 3 nuclear program by years.)

BTW, I am also sure that India’s Th program is much more advanced in planning and R&D than China’s.. ( neither country is yet deploying thorium at a commercial scale.)

[drnayar]

ANEEL is a patented, thorium-based nuclear fuel developed by Clean Core Thorium Energy that uses High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU). It provides a more efficient way to utilize abundant thorium reserves, especially in India, by significantly increasing the burnup of the fuel, reducing waste, and lowering operational costs compared to conventional uranium fuel. ANEEL is also designed to be safer and more resistant to nuclear proliferation.

The fuel is named "ANEEL" in honor of Dr. Anil Kakodkar, a renowned Indian nuclear scientist.

Key Benefits
Enhanced Efficiency:
ANEEL achieves a high burnup (60,000 MW-days per tonne), which is about eight times greater than conventional uranium fuel. This drastically reduces the number of fuel bundles needed.

Reduced Waste:
The higher efficiency leads to a significant reduction in the volume of nuclear waste.

Increased Safety:
The fuel is designed to be more resistant to proliferation, improving safety in nuclear reactors.

Economic Advantage:
ANEEL can lower operational costs by using fewer fuel bundles, making nuclear energy more economical.

How it Works
Thorium Activation: Thorium (Th-232) absorbs neutrons within the reactor.
Conversion: It transforms into Uranium-233 (U-233), a fissile material, via decay of Thorium-233 and Protactinium-233.
Fission Chain Reaction: The U-233 then undergoes fission, releasing energy and sustaining the chain reaction required to power the reactor.

Current Development and Future

Testing: ANEEL fuel is undergoing advanced irradiation testing and qualification at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in the US, a project supported by a partnership between Clean Core and the US Department of Energy.

Commercialization: The fuel is expected to be commercialized in 2026.

India's Nuclear Future: The development of ANEEL fuel aligns with India's three-stage nuclear program and its goal of achieving net-zero energy by 2070, by enabling the immediate use of its large thorium reserves.

https://cleancore.energy/team

[Amber G.]

^^^Thx..
In Indian Media:
Chicago firm’s thorium nuclear fuel leap & export nod could ‘give new life to US-India 123 Agreement

New Delhi: Chicago-based firm Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE), which was granted an export licence by the US government last week to commercialise the thorium-based nuclear fuel that it has developed, is now looking for regulatory approvals in India for sharing the nuclear technology for deployment in Indian reactor

Alos Kerala may set up thorium power plant