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THORIUM

Although only indirectly connected to transport-related fabrication (energy generation for electric transport) it is being addressed here since it is a new market and India has a quarter of the world’s thorium resources

Until recently the scope for exploiting nuclear power was diminished by the world-wide embargo on atomic energy technology. With the lifting of sanctions and with France and Russia supplying the equipment on one side and the UK and US on the other, the situation has now changed.

India had in any case continued her nuclear energy programmes in defiance of these restrictions. While the West decommissions its reactors, in India at the moment there are 14 civil nuclear plants in operation, nine under construction and the green light has been given for construction of eight more.

The subject has extra relevance now that India has developed a thorium-based breeder reactor and cheaper indigenous nuclear energy is now possible.

Since decommissioning has been a controversial subject in the West, with various methods being developed for safe storage, the experiences gathered by the UK, Germany, Sweden etc. could be exploited for India’s benefit. Lessons learnt in decommissioning old European reactors can be applied while commissioning new Indian reactors.