Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Thorium- the energy miracle

 India having  failed every attempt to reach its annual targets of increased  electricity production ,  now faces a deficit of 8.5 percent on its base electricity load from 2010-2011. Thorium is a naturally occurring radioactive chemical element , hailed as  the biggest energy breakthrough since fire.India has the world's largest thorium deposits  , eight times that of its uranium . It thus makes sense for us to develop thorium reactors .Our plans are to obtain a quarter of  electricity from nuclear power by 2050, up from around three percent now. Quietly researching this fuel for decades, Indian scientists have waited for  the right moment to build their first thorium-powered nuclear reactor.Initially this  is  to be a mainly research-based project that will lead the way for commercial ventures in the future.This reflects our ken to think long-term.It's easy to be skeptical about the achievements of Indian
scientists.They haven't made nearly as much of a mark as other developed  nations in research publications,yet they have been  planning for a distant future, a technological one.  On date,the basic physics and engineering of the thorium-fuelled Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) are in place, and the designs are ready .and its Construction  will begin soon, The reactor could be  operational by the end of this decade. The reactor is designed to generate 300 MW of electricity – about a quarter of the output of a typical new nuclear plant in the west.The reactor will require 52 tonnes of fuel in its core initially – and just 4.7 tonnes of fuel per annum after.We can sustain on our thorium reserves for hundreds of years.

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