What happened in Parliament (Lok Sabha written reply)

Dr. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions and Prime Minister’s Office, outlined the Government of India roadmap to build a self-reliant, globally competitive nuclear energy ecosystem. The roadmap was presented as a continuing plan to strengthen India’s indigenous nuclear energy ecosystem through advanced reactor technologies, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), domestic manufacturing, private-sector participation, and long-term utilisation of abundant thorium resources.

Background and earlier position: the three-stage nuclear power programme and thorium

India’s long-term nuclear energy strategy is stated to be guided by the three-stage nuclear power programme, aimed at sustainable utilisation of vast thorium reserves for long-term energy security. The core idea is a closed fuel cycle that progressively moves from uranium to plutonium to thorium-based fuel.

The Government’s position explains the staged pathway as follows:

• First stage: natural uranium used as fuel in Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs); spent fuel is reprocessed to extract plutonium. • Second stage: Fast Breeder Reactors use plutonium to generate additional fissile material. • Third stage: large-scale utilisation of thorium through uranium-233 bred from thorium, after adequate fast breeder reactor capacity is established.

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