{"id":36777,"date":"2025-02-05T01:09:30","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T19:39:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=36777"},"modified":"2025-10-11T10:59:45","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T05:29:45","slug":"indias-push-for-small-modular-reactors-smrs-policy-reforms-global-developments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/indias-push-for-small-modular-reactors-smrs-policy-reforms-global-developments\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Push for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) \u2013 Policy Reforms &#038; Global Developments"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Legislative Reforms to Boost Private Participation in Nuclear Energy<\/li>\n<li>Triggers for India\u2019s Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Push<\/li>\n<li>SMRs: The Future of Nuclear Energy<\/li>\n<li>Global SMR Developments<\/li>\n<li>Small Modular Reactor (SMR) FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>India is advancing its entry into the global <a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/small-modular-reactors\/\" target=\"_blank\">Small Modular Reactors<\/a> (SMR) manufacturing value chain, receiving institutional support through three key policy enablers announced in the Union Budget.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>These measures aim to catalyse development and strengthen India&#8217;s position in nuclear energy innovation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Legislative Reforms to Boost Private Participation in Nuclear Energy<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>New Vertical for Private Participation<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The government plans to establish a separate division within the Department of Atomic Energy to facilitate private sector involvement in India&#8217;s nuclear industry.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This mirrors the successful space sector reforms and aims to leverage private expertise for SMR design, fabrication, and technology transfer negotiations with global players.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Amendment to the Atomic Energy Act, 1962<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The proposed amendment seeks to expand private sector participation beyond equipment supply, allowing private firms to operate nuclear power plants, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Currently, only NPCIL and its joint ventures with NTPC and NALCO have this authority.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Revisions to Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Changes are being considered to address foreign investment concerns regarding liability.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The current law assigns operator liability to equipment suppliers, discouraging global firms like GE-Hitachi, Westinghouse, and Areva from investing in India&#8217;s nuclear sector.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Revisions aim to make investment conditions more favorable.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Triggers for India\u2019s Small Modular Reactor (SMR) Push<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Need for Reliable Base-Load Power<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>As India reduces coal-fired power generation and increases renewable energy capacity, nuclear power is emerging as a stable and clean alternative.<\/li>\n<li>Renewable sources like solar and wind face challenges due to intermittent power generation and lack of viable storage solutions.<\/li>\n<li>Nuclear energy provides a round-the-clock power source to balance grid demands and support energy transition.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>India\u2019s Strategic Entry into SMR Manufacturing<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>India aims to position itself as a competitive player in SMR design and manufacturing, leveraging its decades of experience with small reactors and cost-effective production capabilities.<\/li>\n<li>The move comes as China aggressively expands its SMR program, using it as a diplomatic tool for the Global South.<\/li>\n<li>India seeks to counter China\u2019s dominance in this emerging sector and establish itself as a credible alternative in the global SMR market.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>SMRs: The Future of Nuclear Energy<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>SMRs (30MWe to 300MWe per unit) are seen as a cost-effective and flexible nuclear energy solution.<\/li>\n<li>India is focusing on SMRs for clean energy transition and as a strategic foreign policy tool to expand its global influence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>India\u2019s Collaboration Efforts<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The Department of Atomic Energy is in exploratory talks with Holtec International (USA), a leading exporter of nuclear components, for possible partnerships.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Global SMR Developments<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Two operational SMR projects exist globally:\n<ul>\n<li>Russia\u2019s Akademik Lomonosov (35 MWe x 2) \u2013 Floating SMR, operational since May 2020.<\/li>\n<li>China\u2019s HTR-PM (grid-connected in 2021, operational in 2023).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Western firms developing SMRs<\/strong>: Rolls-Royce (UK), NuScale\u2019s VOYGR (USA), Westinghouse\u2019s AP300 (USA), GE-Hitachi\u2019s BWRX-300 (USA), and Holtec\u2019s SMR-300.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Small Modular Reactor (SMR) FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> What is a Small Modular Reactor??<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> A Small Modular Reactor (SMR) is a compact nuclear reactor with a capacity of 30MWe to 300MWe, offering scalable and flexible power generation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> What are the benefits of SMR?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>SMRs provide clean, round-the-clock energy, have lower costs, enhanced safety features, and can be deployed in remote locations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3. <\/strong>What is the world&#8217;s first SMR?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Russia&#8217;s <strong>Akademik Lomonosov<\/strong>, a floating nuclear power unit with two 35MWe reactors, became the world&#8217;s first operational SMR in 2020..<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong> Do SMRs need water?<\/p>\n<p><strong>An<\/strong>s. Yes, most SMRs require water for cooling, but some advanced designs use gas, molten salt, or liquid metal as coolants..<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5<\/strong>. What is the lifespan of an SMR reactor?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> The typical lifespan of an SMR reactor ranges from <strong>40 to 60 years<\/strong>, depending on design, maintenance, and operational conditions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/business\/india-ambitions-smr-value-chain-three-big-enablers-budget-9816253\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iaea.org\/newscenter\/news\/what-are-small-modular-reactors-smrs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IAEA<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>India is advancing in Small Modular Reactor (SMR) manufacturing with policy reforms, private sector involvement, and global collaborations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":36778,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-36777","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}