Why do we need Nuclear Power: 

In September 2019, the head of U.N.s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) pointed out the necessity of promoting nuclear energy. They pointed out that nuclear power contributes around one-third of all low carbon electricity, producing practically no greenhouse gases, and some 10 percent of the total electricity produced worldwide. At the same time, the organization was accepting of the fact that public concerns to health and the environment, resulting from long-term radioactive waste and other possibilities like accidents or acts of terrorism remain a concern. While the organization sees the costs as large, it admits that nuclear is a necessary tool for the proliferation of a successful energy transition. Studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also forecasts that we must inevitably ramp up nuclear production if we are to reach our goals of a 1.5-degree rise in global temperature above pre-industrial levels. Government commitment and public acceptance is a necessary for this to happen.

While it may true that solar and wind sources will, there is still a market for intermediary sources to act as sources of the energy transition.

Figure: Fuel mixes by functionality

Source: Youtube channel Jesse Jenkins, Prof. at Princeton

The global History of nuclear power:

The story of nuclear power begins in 1895, with french physicists Henri Becquerel and Marie Curie, they accidentally discovered naturally radiating material and it was termed as a radioactive substance. As World War 2 was underway, German research on fission had begun, in response, the U.S. secretly gathered a coalition of scientists from the U.K., Canada, and within, to conduct research on nuclear weapons that use controlled explosions from nuclear fusion. The two main sources that were researched to be compatible were- Uranium and Plutonium. Come 1945, Germany concedes, and the U.S. has two bombs that use different controlled explosion methods- Plutonium and Uranium based. They used these on Japan, which leads to the loss of 2,00,000 lives immediately, followed by the nation’s surrender in the next few days.

Seeing these efforts, Russia began to expedite its own nuclear weapons study. In 1954, the USA had their first thermonuclear bomb- a plutonium fission blast that launched a fusion explosion- which led to damage on a far larger scale that their fission bombs. To compare, if Hiroshima was equal to 15kT of TNT, thermonuclear was 15000kT of TNT.

1956, brought forth the nuclear power reactor. The first reactors were water-operated and used controlled uranium heat to drive turbines and generators with the help of heated water vapor. Cooling was done with the help of water bodies, and cooling towers. While the Cold War rages on and eventually cools down with negotiations. The UN proposes a treaty to control nuclear bombs, this treaty was signed by most countries other than India, Isreal, and Pakistan. 

1973 sees the world’s first oil crisis, the world looks for alternatives for energy. France and Japan mainly rely on nuclear energy. In the coming years, many power plants are built around the world. India beings peaceful nuclear research in 1977. In 1979, a major accident happens on a 3-mile island. The fuel is no longer submerged and melts, the containment resists and doesn’t cause leakage. A few years later, Chernobyl sees multiple human errors, this causes an explosion and the spread of nuclear radiation in the air. The roof crumbles, a large part of the European continent is contaminated, a 2600 sq. m contamination zone is made. This created opinions and prevented the development of the industry.

The father of the nuclear power of Pakistan acknowledges that the plans and materials necessary for the nuclear bombs were being shared from Dubai to North Korea, Libya, and Iran. 2007 declares that the first nuclear test has been conducted. Iran neither denies nor confirms it’s the position in 2009-10. 

While there is no carbon burning, there is radioactive waste, current technology, or solution for high-level long-term waste, it is stored 300meters under the earth’s surface in most nations. In March 2011, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake causes a tsunami of 10 meters, which affect the Fukushima plant as it crashes and this prevents cooling of the core. 4 reactors explode and release and highly radioactive cloud that spreads to NA and covers the entire hemisphere. All 39 plants are shut down, Germany announces a gradual phaseout of nuclear power. Countries reassess nuclear.

Treaty by countries to control nuclear power Netherland votes against and Singapore against.

2019- 417 reactors produce 10% of the world’s electricity. 46 being constructed, 10 in China. The nuclear age is aging. 2/3rd are older than they should be. New-gen plants are failing to meet needs, are costly and delayed. ITER thermonuclear reactor is being studied in France. Its budget has jumped from 5 to 19 bn euros, it could offer a new type of power plant, a large amt of electricity with very little radioactive waste.

The Indian Nuclear Story:

In 1964, India under Nehru was reluctant to enter into the nuclear age. It considered it necessary to create weapons to defend themselves. India considered nuclear power as a means of peaceful use. With the 1962 India-China War, India was taken by surprise and furthermore, China made its first nuclear bomb by 1964. The nuclear umbrella concept came about, where India anticipated nuclear protection from U.S.A. or U.S.S.R. India did not join the non-proliferation treaty as it was heavily discriminatory against India.

Dr. Homi Bhabha, the driver of nuclear energy, used it for the purposes of peaceful nuclear power exploration, it did not pursue this with much seriousness. In 1974, India secretly conducted it’s ‘peaceful nuclear explosion’, which was not immediately weaponized. India did not have any policies until 1979 when it was realized that Pakistan was in the process of the rapid development of nuclear policies. In the 1980s and 1990s, China transferred fissile material, Uranium enrichment technology, and missile production technology which led to anxiety in New Delhi. In 1974, the National Security Group is formed, which is a part of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. In 1995, the NPT was extended indefinitely which is why India did want to sign it. A comprehensive ban treaty was proposed in 1996 (CTBT)

In 1998, India explodes 5 nuclear bombs in Pokhran 2, by Narasimha Rao, which was then executed by Vajpayee. These tests resulted in economic sanctions by the UN Security Sanctions 1198. These sanctions were lifted in 2001, after the 9/11 launch.

India says that it’s nuclear weapons are meant for the purpose of deterrence, so that there is no wart that will happen. Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, come together into a draft nuclear agreement.

Fig: India’s nuclear Doctrine

Source: Youtube channel eduiq

Shankar Menon in his book “Choices” suggests that India’s nuclear doctrine is extremely flexible.

Back in 2008, the Indian government had signed a nuclear agreement to add 40GW of nuclear power that came across a number of implementation issues. After the Fukushima disaster in 2011,  a grassroots opposition came from farmers and fisherman which was joined in by intelligentsia– led by retired judges, military leaders, scientists, bureaucrats, and academics—to get behind the farmers and fishers and build up such a wall of resistance that some fear it could scuttle billion-dollar deals to import reactors and quash several nuclear projects.

The Jaitapur plant took ten years to complete and went overbudget. In February 1960, it was decided the first power plant would be erected in Western India, with locations in Rajasthan, near Delhi and near Madras noted for future commercial reactors. In September, the Punjab government requested a nuclear power station for their state. On 11 October 1960, the Indian government issued a tender for India\’s first nuclear power station near Tarapur, Maharashtra, and consisting of two reactors, each generating around 150 MW of electricity and to be commissioned in 1965. In August 1961, the Indian and Canadian governments agreed to conduct a joint study on building a Canada-India nuclear power plant in Rajasthan; the reactor would be based on the CANDU reactor at Douglas Point and would generate 200 MW of energy. By this time, seven responses to India\’s global tender for the Tarapur power station had been received: three from the United States, two from the UK and one each from France and Canada.

The agreement for India\’s first nuclear power plant at Rajasthan, RAPP-1, was signed in 1963, followed by RAPP-2 in 1966. These reactors contained rigid safeguards to ensure they would not be used for a military program. RAPP-1 began operation in 1972. Due to technical problems the reactor had to be downrated from 200 MW to 100 MW. The technical and design information was given free of charge by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to India. The United States and Canada terminated their assistance after the detonation of India\’s first nuclear explosion in 1974.

Recent developments in India:

After the successful commissioning of Kudankulam units 1 & 2, an agreement was made with Russia in June 2017 for the units 5 & 6 (2 x 1000 MW) with an estimated cost of INR 250 million (3.85 million US$) per MW. Earlier, India had also entered into an agreement with Russia in October 2016 for units 3 & 4 (2 x 1000 MW) with an estimated cost of INR 200 million (3.08 million US$) per MW.

New Technology and Innovations: 

Some possible ways that new innovations can create a cleaner future are the following:

1. Smaller and more versatile Reactors: cost-efficient and can be used for many purposes. The United States is developing cutting-edge advanced reactor designs that have unprecedented versatility, can be paired with renewable generating sources, are much less expensive, burn waste as an energy resource, and are walk-away safe. NuScale Power’s advanced small modular reactor (SMR) is a prime example. Its passive safety cooling system is a game-changer and essentially makes the reactor walk-away safe—without any action required by the operator to safely shut the reactor down.

1. Accident tolerant fuels: fuels that are meant to enhance the safety and performance of current reactors. New advanced fuels that can perform more efficiently at higher temperatures are also being researched. Coolants such as molten salts, liquid sodium are used. This reduces tragedies like Fukushima or Chernobyl drastically.

1. Advanced manufacturing: This helps bring down the capital cost of manufacturing a reactor by 3-D printing reactor components in-house rather than importing them from other nations at a steep cost.

1. Fusion reactor: The other main area of excitement is nuclear fusion, which promises limitless clean power with almost no radioactive waste. The technology is famous for always being 20 years away from commercialization, but startups working on making it a reality are starting to attract serious funding as well as credibility. The UK government’s recent announcement that it would spend $270 million on building its own fusion reactor has given the field an even bigger boost. International Thermonuclear experimental reactor, the $22bn reactor is hard at work on a workable solution for the community.

Way Ahead:

As suggested by IAEA, nuclear power requires political will and public approval. With the resistance to this movement, it will take psychological change, a shift in the narrative as well as successful demonstrations of the use of modern nuclear technology that can help restore faith and confidence in a dangerous power source.