'India should be a major player in worldwide nuclear renaissance'

Thorium Power, a US-based company working on thorium nuclear reactors, is a couple of years from commercialisation of its technology. It is hopeful of signing its first contract by 2010. That should be heartening for India, which has one-third of the world's thorium reserves, though all nuclear capacity in operation (4,120 Mw) is based on uranium, a scarce fuel with domestic proven reserves just enough to support 10,000 Mw capacity. The private equity-funded Thorium Power is looking for clients around the world, but it cannot sign any contracts with India until the civil-nuclear cooperation agreement with the US is signed, the company's Vice-President, Dennis K Hays, tells in an email interview...

How does power from thorium compare with power from other sources, including the traditional uranium?

Thorium is suited to remain in a reactor for a much longer period than uranium. Our analysis shows that thorium fuels produce more energy per economic unit and, of course, are non-proliferative and generate much less waste.

We have been told in India that thorium is the fuel of the future. When does this future become present? When are we likely to see large-scale use of thorium around the world?

Thorium is, as you note, the fuel of the future. Properly-designed thorium fuels offer zero greenhouse gas emission while directly addressing two major concerns about uranium: Thorium Power's fuels do not produce weapons-usable material in its spent fuel and the amount of waste is greatly minimising in terms of volume, weight and radiotoxicity. We hope to have the first commercial contract in 2010 and expect to see the first commercial thorium-fueled reactor within the next few years with much wider usage in about 10 to 15 years "" exactly the time when most of the new reactors now being proposed for construction come on line.

Is Thorium Power's fuel technology "ready" to be retrofitted in existing plants or find a place in those that are coming up?

Thorium Power's fuel designs have been undergoing tests in a research reactor for several years. Our founder, Dr Alvin Radkowsky, the former long-time chief scientist for the US Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, specifically designed his fuel arrays for fitting into existing pressurised water reactors (three-quarters of all reactors in the world) without any major retrofitting. As part of our research, we will be working with reactor designers to ensure that all new builds have the thorium option.

Which country is likely to sign the first commercial contract? Is the buyer a government entity or a private sector company?

We expect to fuel a commercial reactor providing heat and light to a million people within the next several years. Once we have sufficient data from this reactor, we will obtain a licence to market the fuel design more broadly. It is quite possible that our first commercial client will be a utility in a country which does not currently have a nuclear programme, but would like to have one while minimising concerns about proliferation and waste.

What has been India's response to your offer of technology?

India is one of the foremost centres of nuclear research and, as you know, there is a strong interest in thorium-based fuels (here). We have had expressions of interest, but we cannot go beyond this until there is a civilian nuclear agreement (123 agreement) in place between our two countries.

Can Thorium Power export its technology to India even if the Indo-US nuclear cooperation deal falls through?

No. There are very strict laws against technology transfers in the absence of a civilian nuclear agreement.

Should India choose to partner with or become a client of Thorium Power, would it need to commit to the IAEA safeguards?

Yes, Thorium Power works closely with the IAEA and we are only active on programmes that have the IAEA's blessing.

Is India's indigenous programme competing with yours or is it on a completely different track?

India has an ambitious programme to build a significant number of light water reactors over the next decade. Thorium Power's fuel designs would work very well in these reactors and also take advantage of the large amounts of thorium found in your country. Separately, India has an indigenous programme to design a system of using a series of reactors to also take advantage of its thorium stockpiles.

Thorium Power's fuels would not be readily compatible with these reactors as they are designed for purposes other than non-proliferation and to minimise waste.

Any comments on India's indigenous nuclear programme?

We have always been greatly impressed with the calibre of India's nuclear scientists. It is exactly because we believe India's scientists are a great resource that we have worked so hard to develop contacts within what is permitted in the absence of the 123 agreement. I might also note that there are tremendous opportunities for India's private sector in the key ancillary activities surrounding nuclear programmes "" there is a great need for engineers, architects, steel and concrete producers, etc, worldwide. India can and should be a major player in the worldwide nuclear renaissance.