Indian technology company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with US-based Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) to collaborate on CCTE’s ANEEL (Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life) fuel.
The fuel is made of thorium and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), developed for use in pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) and Canada deuterium uranium (Candu) reactors. Clean Core says the fuel can offer significantly improved performance with existing proven heavy water reactor systems by leveraging thorium’s inherently superior nuclear, thermal and physical properties. It also retains the same external dimensions and configuration design as in currently used natural uranium (NU) fuel bundles.
“Without any significant modifications to the reactor, the replacement of the currently used NU fuel bundles with Clean Core’s ANEEL fuel bundles can reduce life-cycle operating costs and waste volumes, increase safety and accident tolerance, and result in additional proliferation resistance,” CCTE notes. In May, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) completed a preliminary regulatory design assessment of the fuel pellet design.
At a signing ceremony in Mumbai, L&T and CCTE said the aim of the partnership is to accelerate nuclear power deployment globally, particularly in developing countries which require large amount of carbon-free electricity for their growth. Anil Parab, Director & Executive Vice President of Heavy Engineering and L&T Valves, said: “In view of increasing demand for nuclear energy across the globe, we are in the process of identifying new opportunities to offer ‘One Stop Solutions’ to our customers. Establishing a world-class supply chain for ANEEL fuel, by leveraging L&T’s manufacturing prowess, is a step in that direction. L&T will support CCTE within the purview of the Indian legal framework.”
Mehul Shah, Founder & CEO of CCTE, said: “In partnering with a market leader like L&T with specialised expertise in engineering and manufacturing, we can realise our vision of sustainable clean and safe energy through the deployment of ANEEL fuel globally. This partnership will activate the Indo-US civil nuclear co-operation signed back in 2008.”
Under a Strategic Partnership Project Agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE), CCTE’s ANEEL fuel is currently undergoing accelerated irradiation testing and qualification in the Advanced Test Reactor at Idaho National Laboratory. It is on the way to achieving planned burn-up targets of up to 60 GWd/T. Clean Core has also been actively partnering and engaging with key industry players including regulators, utilities and suppliers to achieve the successful commercialisation of the ANEEL fuel by 2026.
India, which has abundant thorium resources, has adopted a three-stage nuclear power programme, with the long-term goal of deploying a thorium-based closed nuclear fuel cycle. The first stage is based on pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), fuelled by natural uranium, and light water reactors. The second stage involves reprocessing used fuel from the first stage to recover the plutonium to fuel FBRs. In the final stage, Advanced Heavy Water Reactors (AHWRs) will burn thorium-plutonium fuels and breed fissile uranium-233.
