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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted nuclear power's role in India’s renewable energy targets for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026.
A new addition to the energy mix: Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are set to play a role in achieving these goals.
What Are SMRs?
SMRs are smaller, flexible, and easier to build compared to traditional nuclear reactors, generating less than 300 MW of power.
Microreactors, an even smaller design, are being researched to produce 1-20 MW of nuclear power.
Advantages of SMRs
SMRs are cheaper to build and safeguard than conventional reactors.
Parts of the reactors can be manufactured separately in factories and then transported for assembly, making them more flexible and quicker to deploy.
SMRs can be scaled up more easily than larger reactors.
Challenges and Investments
SMRs are still experimental, requiring significant capital investment with uncertain profitability.
The first-generation SMR designs depend on low-grade uranium as fuel, which means they need to be refueled more frequently, presenting operational challenges.
The Indian government has allocated ₹20,000 crore under the 'Nuclear Energy Mission' to study SMRs and develop five operational units by 2033.
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