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For many years, India had a skeptical take on the energy transition, arguing since the 1970s that poverty was a more pressing problem than protecting the environment. The difference now is that zero-carbon power is decisively cheaper than the competition.
Meanwhile, rising incomes mean the government needs to also think about the needs of about half a billion middle-class citizens, who worry more about where to find a good job in a clean, livable city than the basics of subsistence living.
India is still building coal-fired power plants to make sure those newly minted urbanites do not suffer power cuts in the middle of punishing heat waves, but they are not necessarily being used. Thanks to milder weather than in the past few years and the rising volumes of renewables pushing it off the grid, fossil-fired power generation fell 4 percent in the first half relative to last year.
https://x.com/larsentoubro/status/1958407166274224507
Marking yet another milestone in India’s civil nuclear energy programme, L&T Heavy Engineering has despatched a Steam Generator to the Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana (GHAVP), located in Fatehabad district, Haryana.
China and India are both pursuing thorium-based nuclear programs to leverage their vast thorium reserves (India has the world's largest, followed by China) as a sustainable alternative to uranium, aiming for energy security and reduced waste. China's approach centers on molten salt reactors (MSRs), which use thorium directly in a liquid fuel cycle for inherent safety and efficiency. India's strategy is a phased, indigenous three-stage program that indirectly incorporates thorium via fast breeder reactors (FBRs) to produce fissile uranium-233 (U-233), followed by advanced heavy water reactors (AHWRs) for thorium utilization. While China has made rapid progress with a prototype already operational, India's program is more evolutionary but faces delays due to technological complexities.
China
Prototype (TMSR-LF1, 2 MWth) achieved criticality in Oct 2023, full power in June 2024, and first-ever online refueling without shutdown in April 2025. Demonstrates continuous operation. Full-scale 10 MWe demonstration reactor under construction.
Prototype operational (2023-2025). Full-scale Gobi Desert plant construction starts 2025 (Gansu Province), criticality by 2030. Aims for commercial deployment post-2030.
India
Stage 1: 24 operational reactors (8.18 GW total). Stage 2: Prototype FBR (PFBR, 500 MWe) at Kalpakkam began core loading in 2024; facing "first-of-a-kind" delays but issues being resolved systematically as of Aug 2025. Stage 3: AHWR design ongoing with delays; experimental thorium tests at BARC show promise (e.g., small reactors powering districts with minimal fuel).
Stage 2 PFBR commissioning targeted for 2026 (delayed from earlier 2024 goal). Stage 3 AHWR prototype expected mid-2030s after FBR success. Overall thorium utilization after achieving 50 GW nuclear capacity (current ~8 GW).
Key Differences and Similarities
Direct vs. Indirect Path: China's MSR enables direct thorium use in a single reactor type, allowing quicker deployment and innovation in liquid fuel. India's FBR-centric approach requires sequential stages, making it more complex but tailored to bootstrap from limited uranium stocks.
Progress Speed: China is ahead, with a working prototype and refueling milestone in 2025, positioning it for near-term full-scale ops. India is steady but slower, with PFBR delays pushing thorium breeding to late 2020s.
Similarities: Both prioritize thorium for sustainability (abundant, less waste than uranium), national energy security, and reduced carbon emissions. They face shared R&D challenges like fuel reprocessing and safety certification.
Global Context: China's program revives U.S. MSR concepts abandoned in the 1970s, potentially leapfrogging Western efforts. India's is uniquely suited to its resource constraints, influencing international thorium collaborations.
Overall, China's MSR program is more advanced and disruptive, potentially setting a global standard by 2030, while India's three-stage FBR path offers a proven, scalable model for thorium-dominant nations despite setbacks.
