Why in the News?

India is fast tracking the fabrication of an indigenous Light Water Reactor (LWR) as it opens the nuclear power sector to private participation and explores opportunities in the global nuclear export market.

Key Development

• The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is accelerating work on a 900 MWe indigenous LWR.
• Design work began in 2015.
• Objective is to complement India’s existing Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) fleet.
• Indigenous LWR capability is expected to improve India’s bargaining power with foreign reactor vendors.

Why LWRs Matter Globally

• LWRs account for over 85 percent of global civil nuclear reactor capacity.
• Used extensively by United States, Russia and France.
• Dominant technology in international reactor trade and supply chains.
• Without LWR integration, India risks limited access to global nuclear exports.

LWR vs PHWR

• Light Water Reactors

• • • Use ordinary water as coolant and moderator
    • Require enriched uranium fuel
    • Simpler design, lower construction cost
    • Higher thermal efficiency
    • Strong economies of scale

• Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors

• • Use heavy water (deuterium)
  • Operate on natural uranium
  • Core strength of India’s nuclear programme
  • Greater fuel flexibility
  • Less attractive in export markets dominated by LWRs

Legal and Policy Context

• The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025 enables:
  • Greater private sector participation
  • More imported LWR based projects
• Addresses earlier liability concerns raised by foreign suppliers.
• Supports projects like Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant.

Export and Strategic Angle

• Indigenous LWR enhances India’s role in the global nuclear supply chain.
• Emerging economies like UAE, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are expanding nuclear capacity.
• India could position itself as a supplier of:
  • PHWRs fuelled with thorium and low enriched uranium
  • Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) of 30 to 300 MWe

Thorium and India

• India has modest uranium but vast thorium reserves.
• Using thorium with low enriched uranium in PHWRs can:
  • Ease fuel constraints
  • Support large scale nuclear expansion
  • Strengthen India’s unique reactor niche

Prelims Pointers

• LWRs dominate the global nuclear reactor market.
• India’s proposed indigenous LWR capacity is 900 MWe.
• PHWRs remain India’s technological strength.
• Nuclear amendments aim to attract private and foreign investment.
• SMRs are emerging as a tool of energy diplomacy, including by China.

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