India's Fusion Power Roadmap: A Deep Dive into the Science, Strategy, and Challenges
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Science and Technology (Nuclear Technology - Fission vs. Fusion, Plasma, Tokamak, ITER); Government Institutions (Institute for Plasma Research - IPR).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 3 (S&T, Energy): Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Awareness in the fields of Nuclear Technology; Infrastructure: Energy; Indigenization of technology.
Key Highlights from the News
India's Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) in Gandhinagar has put forward a detailed roadmap for making fusion power a reality in India.
The first step involves building India's first fusion power plant, named Steady-state Superconducting Tokamak-Bharat (SST-Bharat).
This will be a fusion-fission hybrid reactor.
Nuclear Fusion: A process where two small atoms combine to form a larger atom, releasing a large amount of energy. The sun and stars generate energy through this process.
Compared to fission, fusion produces less radioactive waste, making it safer.
India is a major participant in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), an international project being built in France.
The main challenges India faces in this field include high construction costs, technical challenges, limited government funding, and lack of private sector involvement.
India's long-term goal is to commission a full-scale demonstration reactor by 2060.
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