SMALL
NUCLEAR REACTORS – SCI & TECH
News:
India pursues small
reactors in civil nuclear energy
What's
in the news?
● A
day after the G20 summit's Delhi Declaration, which highlighted the importance
of advancing nuclear technology and the design and development of small modular
reactors (SMRS), atomic energy officials revealed the country's dedicated
efforts in "these new types of reactors".
Significance
of Nuclear power:
● Nuclear
power plants (NPPs) generate 10% of the world’s electricity.
● Nuclear
power helps the world to avoid 180 billion cubic metres of natural gas demand
and 1.5 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
● NPPs
are efficient users of land and their grid integration costs are lower than
those associated with variable renewable energy (VRE) sources because NPPs
generate power 24x7 in all kinds of weather.
● Nuclear
power also provides valuable co-benefits like high-skill jobs in technology,
manufacturing, and operations.
Issues
in Nuclear Power:
● Time
and cost overruns.
● Not a zero- carbon energy - There
is no such thing as a zero or close-to-zero emission nuclear power plant. Even
existing plants emit due to the continuous mining and refining of uranium
needed for the plant.
● Problem of Radioactive wastes - consumed
fuel rods from nuclear plants are radioactive waste. Most fuel rods are stored
at the same site as the reactor that consumed them
● Safety issues
- Possible occurrence of Meltdowns. A meltdown is an accident in which severe
overheating of the nuclear reactor results in the melting of the reactor’s
core. If a meltdown occurred, a nuclear power plant could release radiation
into the environment. After incidents such as Chernobyl and the Fukushima
disaster, countries such as Germany began to undergo a nuclear phase out,
shutting down their nuclear energy units.
● Displacement
- To build nuclear reactors, it requires huge amounts of land. This would
displace local communities who may not want to leave. Further, it is not easy
to rehabilitate them and provide them with appropriate compensation
Role
of Small Modular Reactors:
In this above context, Small Modular Reactors can be
the best replacement for Conventional Nuclear Power Plants in the following
aspects.
1.
Enhanced safety:
● SMRs
offer lower core damage frequency and source term compared to conventional
NPPs, enhancing safety.
2.
No displacement issues:
● They
can be installed at brownfield sites, simplifying regulatory approvals and
reducing land requirements.
3.
No time and cost overruns:
● SMRs
are manufactured in factories, minimizing time and cost overruns, and their
lower spent nuclear fuel storage reduces environmental impact.
● The
term "modular" signifies their modular construction approach,
allowing for factory assembly and simplified on-site installation.
4.
Remote Communities:
● SMRs
can provide clean and reliable energy to remote communities, replacing diesel
generators and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
5.
Industrial Complexes:
● They
can serve as a dependable energy source for energy-intensive industries such as
mining, desalination, and manufacturing.
6.
Urban Areas:
● SMRs
can supplement urban energy grids, enhancing reliability while minimizing
emissions.
7.
Decarbonization:
● Their
24/7 power generation capability can complement renewable energy sources,
aiding in the decarbonization of power generation.
WAY
FORWARD:
● The
Atomic Energy Act will need to be
amended to allow the private sector to set up SMRs. To ensure safety, security,
and safeguards, control of nuclear fuel and radioactive waste must continue to
lie with the Government of India.
● The
government will also have to enact a law to create an independent, empowered regulatory board with the expertise and
capacity to oversee every stage of the nuclear power generation cycle,
including design approval, site selection, construction, operations,
certification of operators, and waste reprocessing.
● The
security around SMRs must remain under government control, while the Nuclear Power Corporation can operate
privately-owned SMRs during the hand-holding process.
● The
India-US ‘123 agreement’ allows
India to develop a strategic reserve of nuclear fuel to guard against supply
disruptions. It also permits India to set up a facility to reprocess spent fuel
from SMRs under safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). So,
the Indian government can negotiate with foreign suppliers to reprocess nuclear
waste from all SMRs in a state-controlled facility under IAEA safeguards. The
reprocessed material may also be suitable for use in other NPPs in India that
use imported uranium.
● Finally,
the Department of Atomic Energy must
improve the public perception of nuclear power in India by better disseminating
comprehensive environmental and public health data of the civilian reactors,
which are operating under international safeguards, in India.