Indian Government is exploring the options of collaborating with other countries and taking up indigenous development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors.
The government is examining the provisions of Atomic Energy Act, 1962 to allow participation of private sector and start-ups to promote SMRs technology in the country.
SMR is a promising technology in industrial de-carbonization especially where there is a requirement of reliable and continuous supply of power. SMR offers significant savings in cost and construction time.
India is considering steps for development of SMR, to fulfil its commitment to Clean Energy transition.
It is pertinent to note that India, comprising 17% of the world population has seen its primary energy growing at rate of 4% during the last decade, almost double the global growth rate of 1.3%. However, by historical standards, our share in global emissions is less than 5%.
Key Takeaways
- Besides being mobile and agile, SMR is a promising technology in industrial de-carbonization
- Small modular reactors are simpler, safer, cheaper and easier to build than conventional large-scale nuclear reactors.
- Microreactors are even smaller than small modular reactors– and have about 30 times less power generating capacity.
