India’s nuclear power Bhavini for energy self-dependence

The technology demonstrating a pilot-level experiment has already shown to the world its efficacy and now Indian nuclear scientists are eagerly waiting for the day when they will commission India’s first and a unique full-scale prototype fast breeder reactor, which is based in Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. The cutting-edge nuclear energy technology is unique in the sense that it produces more fuel than it consumes. The reactor will be self-sustaining in the long run, producing endless power and fuel generation from indigenous resources and homegrown technology.

India’s three-stage nuclear power programme will receive a huge boost with the expected commissioning of India’s first 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor, BHAVINI (Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam). It would be a major milestone in India’s very ambitious second stage of the three-stage nuclear power programme, which promises self-dependence on meeting electricity demands of the nation for indefinite periods. After Russia, only India has demonstrated the technology of the world’s most unique fast breeder nuclear power plant.

Realising the potential of vast thorium reserves on India’s sea beaches in the form of monazite, Dr. Homi Bhabha, the father of India’s nuclear programme, had conceptualised and prepared a three-stage nuclear power generation programme based on thorium, which is to be used in the third stage as fuel. In 1958, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had given the green signal to this dream project to make India self-sufficient in meeting electricity demands of the nation for centuries to come in a climate-friendly way.

Since the nuclear fuel utilised in the reactor can breed more fuel and can again be utilised as fuel in the power plant, it would have also taken care of nuclear waste storage. India could not exploit such great possibilities due to severe technology sanctions imposed on the country. Now that India is out of the sanctions regime, it is high time India devoted its resources on the indigenous three-stage nuclear power programme. There are great expectations from the much delayed 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor getting commissioned in the middle of next year.

With the third largest reserves of thorium, India always had an eye on its effective utilisation, but had to face many impediments both at national and international levels. Since thorium cannot be used as a fuel in its natural form, it requires to be converted into fissile form after a series of reactions with other fissile materials. Since India possesses a very small amount of uranium reserves, it had to depend on imports for its pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR). Sanction regimes in force prevented India from advancing in the nuclear power programme as imports were made difficult with India not being a signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

The first stage of the programme involved construction of heavy water reactors fuelled by natural uranium, which would produce plutonium. This would entail construction of pressurised heavy water reactors to produce energy from natural uranium. Since the PHWR do not simply generate energy, they also produce fissile plutonium (Pu-239), which can be used in making nuclear bombs. The international regimes keep an eye on its production and use. India had been a major target, which resulted in Indian nuclear power plants not generating power in full capacity.

In the second stage, the reactor would initially be fuelled by a mix of plutonium generated from the first stage and natural uranium, which consists of 0.7% uranium-235, 99.3% uranium-238, and a trace of uranium-234.This uranium would transmute into more plutonium and once enough stocks have been created, thorium would be introduced into the fuel cycle to be converted into uranium-233 for the third stage. In the second stage, the indigenous fast breeder reactor technology would be fuelled by Pu-239 to produce energy and more of Pu-239.

Indian nuclear scientists have already demonstrated their acumen in designing a fast breeder reactor at experimental level. A 40-MW Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) has already been successfully operating in Kalpakkam since 1985, and thus technology objectives have been realised. Scientists estimate a power potential of 5,30,000 MW from fast breeder reactors.

After the completion of the second stage, the reactor would produce more fissile material than it would have utilised. This is why the reactor has been named as a breeder. The third stage of the programme would entail the use of Pu-239, which is extracted from the second stage in combination with thorium-232 to produce energy and more of Pu-239 and uranium-233, which is another fissile material, using thermal breeders. Thus, U-233 would be generated from Thorium-232. This would complete the cycle. Thereafter, U-233 would be used in the remaining part of the fuel cycle.

In the third and last stage, a mix of thorium and uranium fuels the reactor. Fresh thorium can replace the depleted thorium in the reactor core, making it essentially a thorium-fuelled reactor even though it is the U-233 that is undergoing fission to produce electricity. To showcase the efficacy of thorium-based third stage programme, a 40 KW capacity thorium-based KAMINI reactor (Kalpakkam Mini Reactor) is already operating in Kalpakkam. For the third stage, a 300-MW Advanced Heavy Water Reactor has also been constructed.

While India has successfully progressed in the first stage of the nuclear power programme, the second stage is a work in progress. Experts have opined that the third stage would require many more fast breeder reactors and minimum four decades before it has built a sufficient inventory of fissile material to kickstart the third stage.

The prototype fast breeder reactor was slated to be commissioned in the beginning of the century, but many technical issues and international supply constraints led to its extraordinary delay. Now that BHAVINI hopes to be completed by the middle of 2024, the Indian nuclear power program can hope to be completely self-reliant in the decades to come, if there are enough investments in the third stage. According to a vision statement of BHAVINI, the sustained power operation of this reactor will be a feather in the cap in line with the nation’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ campaign. This will pave the way for the future growth of BHAVINI and with the plan of constructing two more fast breeder reactors, in the adjoining site of present BHAVINI at Kalpakkam and a fleet of future FBRs in other probable sites.

This milestone in India’s nuclear journey is not just a national achievement but a beacon of innovation for the world, demonstrating the potential of advanced nuclear technology in achieving a sustainable, carbon-neutral future.