India's 220 MW PHWRs Get A Makeover As Bharat Small Reactors For Private Sector Use

India is currently in the process of modifying and converting its 220 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) design into Bharat Small Reactors (BSR).

This transition is intended to ready the technology for transfer to the private sector, said R B Grover, a member of the Atomic Energy Commission, during a recent event in Ahmedabad.

“India already operates several 220 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors across the country, including in Narora (Uttar Pradesh), Rajasthan, Kakrapar (Gujarat), Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu), and Kaiga (Karnataka). This particular design is being modified and converted as Bharat Small Reactors,” Grover told reporters on the sidelines of an event at IIM-Ahmedabad.

A reactor with an output of less than 300 MW is classified as ‘small’, and such reactors can be more easily deployed closer to their points of use. This is particularly beneficial for industries like steelmaking that require captive power generation and are in urgent need of decarbonisation.

NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited) is currently preparing the design drawings for these changes. Grover, also an Emeritus Professor at Homi Bhabha National Institute (HBNI) Mumbai, highlighted that the changes are minimal and incremental, with the modifications expected to be completed within a year.

According to Grover, NPCIL will oversee the design, installation, and operation of these reactors for private companies interested in using them for captive power generation or hydrogen production.

On safety, Grover highlighted that the updated reactors will include a steel liner and enhanced control and instrumentation systems, improving an already safe design.

An amendment to the Atomic Energy Act, is likely to pave the way for the private sector to own and operate nuclear power plants, is on the cards.

According to a report in The Hindu Business Line, BSRs are likely to be designed for a new fuel, ANEEL (Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life), developed by Clean Core Thorium Energy. Clean Core has a patent for the fuel, which is currently undergoing validation at the Idaho Laboratories in the US.

ANEEL is a mix of thorium, which is found in abundance in India, and HALEU (high assay low enriched uranium). HALEU) is a type of uranium fuel that has a high concentration of uranium-235 (U-235), typically between 5% to 20% U-235. Compared to traditional nuclear fuel, which can have up to 95% U-235.

In her Budget speech for the financial year 2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced that the Union government will partner with the private sector to establish Bharat Small Reactors and advance research and development in Bharat Small Modular Reactors.