Nuclear energy to Net Zero: What lies ahead

In recent weeks, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) witnessed an interesting trend. Stocks of companies dealing with uranium and nuclear plants were surging – an indication that a nuclear renaissance is gathering pace after a huge slump following the 2011 Fukushima accident in Japan. There was a consensus in the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai that increased deployment of nuclear technology is inevitable for achieving Net Zero carbon emissions.

Major technological companies that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a big way have to build massive data centres that require sources of reliable, sustainable power supply. Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) have emerged as a viable green energy source.

Clearly, nuclear power promises a variety of options with its inbuilt flexibility to address fluctuations in energy demand and supply and to maintain grid stability. The importance of SMRs can be gauged from the fact that over 1,000 delegates from 95 countries participated in the first IAEA conference on SMRs, held in Vienna in October.

India's Goal: Net Zero emissions by 2070

More than 20 countries, including India, attending COP28 pledged to work towards tripling nuclear power capacity in the next two decades. The Government of India has recognised that the augmentation of nuclear power cannot be achieved only by building conventional large-size nuclear power plants which require large sites in low-population zones.

To achieve rapid and deep decarbonisation, India has opted for large-scale deployment of SMRs with the participation of private parties, mostly to replace captive thermal power plants in various industries which are huge consumers of electricity. The 2024-25 budget has made a substantial allocation for the development of SMR technology. Small reactors are simpler in design, easier to construct and operate, and with their inherent high passive safety features, may not require emergency countermeasures in the public domain.

India’s goal of getting to Net Zero emissions by 2070 can be achieved only if we can build SMRs in a time-bound manner. However, there are challenges. Firstly, the government should amend the Atomic Energy Act to promote public-private partnerships in the nuclear power sector. Currently, reactors are owned and operated exclusively by government companies due to safety and security considerations. Many countries such as the US, UK, and Japan have private companies owning and operating nuclear power plants meeting all national and international safety standards.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has specified mandatory requirements in its Safety Code on Site Evaluation of Nuclear Facilities. SMRs, in particular those proposed in brown fields, will not meet the requirements of various demarcated areas around the site like exclusion zone (1.6 km), natural growth zone (5 km), and emergency planning zone (16 km). Regulators in many countries are preparing revised safety codes for licensing SMRs. AERB has to conduct a comprehensive review and assess the safety of SMRs, in particular the claim about inherent safety. Like regulators in other countries, AERB may have to come out with a Safety Code and associated safety guidance documents for generic SMRs.

Questions on storing, reprocessing waste

Currently, the nuclear power plants in India, their fresh fuels, spent fuels, and plant sites are all owned by government entities. The government has to come out with a policy regarding the spent fuels from SMRs, particularly when they are going to be owned by private parties. A key question is – will these spent fuels be reprocessed to extract useful fissile material plutonium? If yes, which organisation will be responsible for fuel reprocessing? Also, as SMRs are likely to be located as captive power plants in sites with smaller exclusion distances, can those sites accommodate co-location of fuel reprocessing plants? SMRs are likely to be operated in once-through mode since the plants may be imported or their fuels may be imported and, therefore, will be covered by IAEA safeguards. An SMR, in its expected life of 60 years, will generate about 1,800 tons of spent fuels as waste. The chosen site will have to make provisions for safe and secure storage of spent fuels over a very long period. Legal provisions have to ensure that sites owned by private parties remain under regulatory control. Incorporating spent fuel and radioactive waste management requirements early in the design and licensing processes will ensure that all wastes have an established pathway to disposal.

It is envisaged that 40 to 50 SMRs will be geographically distributed in different parts of India over the next two decades. They have to be decommissioned at the end of their useful life, resulting in large amounts of radioactive waste. The government should consider the establishment of the following facilities to address this important issue – a National Reprocessing Facility, a National Decommissioning Board, and a National Nuclear Waste Repository. This requires tremendous time and effort and it is essential to initiate action now to achieve intergenerational equity. The government also needs to bring clarity to the stakeholders regarding the application of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA) of 2010 in the event private parties are permitted to operate the SMRs.

Another important challenge will be in the public acceptance of SMRs. To gain the confidence of the public around a chosen site, the government should initiate concerted outreach and awareness programmes that engage the population as stakeholders. There is also the issue of human resources development. In India, the development of expertise in nuclear science and technology has, so far, been largely confined to the Department of Atomic Energy and not in universities and other academic institutions. A programme involving 40 or 50 plants will require a huge number of trained personnel. It is time to introduce nuclear science and engineering as part of the academic curriculum in select colleges and provide the graduating students an internship in operating plants. This can help prepare a skilled workforce when the country starts installing the SMRs.

(The writer is former director – Radiological Safety, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board)