What the nuclear power vision needs for take-off

India's quest for non-fossil fuel power generation has led to renewed enthusiasm for nuclear power.

- Somit Dasgupta

The budget for the current fiscal announced plans to have 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047. Apart from this, India is also targeting setting up five small modular reactors (SMRs) by 2033, for which the required research and development would be executed.

SMRs are typically small reactors, in the range of 250-300 MW, whose components can be assembled at site. There are many advantages of SMRs, the most important being that they can be ramped up and down to smoothen the grid on account of intermittency of renewable generation, lowering the need for coal-based generation as the stabiliser. There are other benefits too, for example, lower gestation lag, smaller exclusion zone, usability in the off-grid mode, among others.

SMRs are well suited for providing captive power to industries that need steady, high voltage power. SMRs are functioning in countries such as Russia and China, though capital costs at present are prohibitively expensive for the Indian context. The design for SMRs is yet to be standardised, but available literature seems to suggest that India is most likely to adopt the pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) technology.