Thorium-Powered Future

The Union Budget 2025–26 placed nuclear energy at the centre of India’s long-term clean-energy transition and set a 100 GW nuclear capacity target by 2047.

  • This has renewed attention on thorium-based energy security and India’s three-stage nuclear programme.
  • India follows a closed nuclear fuel cycle to use its limited uranium and large thorium reserves efficiently. The long-term aim is to convert Thorium-232 into fissile Uranium-233 for power generation.
  • Stage I uses Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) with natural uranium. Stage II uses Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) to generate more fissile material, while also enabling thorium irradiation. Stage III envisages reactors using ....
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