World's first thorium-based Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR), the construction of which is expected to begin during the 11th Five Year Plan, is still awaiting sanction of an appropriate site by the Centre, a top nuclear scientist said.
World's first thorium-based Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR), the construction of which is expected to begin during the 11th Five Year Plan, is still awaiting sanction of an appropriate site by the Centre, a top nuclear scientist said.
Since the 300 MWe AHWR will be a public utility, it has to be built outside the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and "we are waiting for the Centre to announce the site," RK Sinha, Group Director, Reactor Design and Development and Design Manufacturing and Automation, said.
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"It is only after the site allocation, ground work for statutory clearances (environmental and regulatory) can be carried out and BARC scientists have to submit a project report for statutory clearances," he said.
Once the site is allotted and construction begins, it would take six years to complete the plant, Sinha said. The standing committee for site selection for the AHWR was formed last year, but the final selection of a suitable site has not been announced by the government, he said.
"We are ready with the final design and already in the project mode. By simulating safety parameters, we are preparing preliminary safety analysis report for the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board's clearance," he said.
"The site selection criteria for the AHWR was slightly different as we are planning for nuclear fuel fabrication plant, reprocessing and waste management facilities within the plant site," he said.
Sinha said, "We hope that the government announces the site for AHWR soon to start the construction of the reactor and other related facilities."
Last year in April, BARC commissioned critical facility for AHWR to prove the physics design of the reactor.
Currently, reference code or base-line data for Uranium is being generated. The critical facility had each and every component of the nuclear core of the AHWR such as fuel and the moderator.
Sinha said, the AHWR is being designed to achieve large-scale use of thorium for the generation of commercial power and is also proliferation resistant to some extent.
"This reactor will produce most of its power from Thorium with no significant external input of Uranium-233 in equilibrium cycle (in stabilised stage)," he added.
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