NTPC, CCTE eye development, deployment of ANEEL: DAE, Pg15

Key Highlights:

• NTPC and Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) are exploring the development and deployment of thorium-based fuel (ANEEL) for nuclear stations in India.
• CCTE received an export license from the US Department of Energy to sell nuclear technology to India.
• ANEEL aims to enhance India’s energy security by using domestically available thorium, improving safety and proliferation resistance, and reducing nuclear waste.
• India is following a closed fuel cycle where spent fuel is reprocessed to recover valuable fissile material.

Detailed Insights:

• ANEEL (Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life) is a thorium-based fuel that combines thorium with small amounts of enriched uranium.
• The deployment of ANEEL in existing or new Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) could boost India's energy and fuel security.
• India's three-stage nuclear power programme focuses on the efficient utilization of limited uranium resources and the reprocessing of spent fuel.
• The natural uranium oxide-based fuel will continue to be deployed in current fleet of PHWRs.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Thorium: A naturally occurring, weakly radioactive metal that can be used as a nuclear fuel.
• PHWR (Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor): A nuclear reactor that uses heavy water as its coolant and moderator.
• Closed Fuel Cycle: A nuclear fuel cycle where spent nuclear fuel is reprocessed to recover usable materials.