Indian Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor to Start in 2013

India's Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor will start operation in 2013. This 500 MW reactor will be the largest of its kind, and will put India into Phase-2 of its 3-Phase thorium program. The third and final phase will be when India has enough thorium-bred fuel to achieve full energy independence.

Meanwhile, other countries are also moving to do their own cutting-edge research projects relating to thorium energy, anticipating that it could solve the world's energy problems.

Accelerator-Driven Thorium Reactor

A smaller and cheaper type of particle accelerator is being planned, which could finally enable the development of an accelerator-driven thorium reactor, which is a holy grail among thorium power supporters. Such a reactor could operate sub-critically, and would require no fissile seed material.

Hybrid Fission-Fusion Reactors

Here's a small piece in the NYT on the need for research into hybrid fission-fusion reactors, which could provide a safer alternative to conventional nuclear reactor designs.

Indians have narrowly been only looking at using plutonium as the neutron source to breed thorium into fissile uranium fuel. But the fact is that fusion reactors, even if they can't produce net power output, can similarly emit neutrons as plutonium does, in order to perform the same thorium breeding conversion.

So hybrid fission-fusion reactors could also be used by India to accelerate the pace of the thorium breeding phase of its indigenous nuclear power program. Even if the Nuclear Suppliers Group could cut off all Indian access to foreign fuel, nobody can prevent India from building tokamaks for thorium breeding, as neither are they dependent upon uraniam nor are they fission devices anyway.

Fukushima 50, Yamato-Damashii, Thermopylae, Thorium

It goes without saying that the the workers who continue to struggle to stave off a meltdown at Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant are heroes. Like the warriors of Thermopylae, the Fukushima Fifty are able to rise to the occasion, sacrificing themselves to protect their society. In India, whenever you hear about a truck accident or a train accident in the news, it's inevitably reported that the driver or conductor ran away. Japanese culture seems to have enough strength in instilling its dharma into the minds of the common people, so that even the ordinary person is able to maintain strength of character in such trying times. Note that this disciplined strength of character is in contrast to the wild, hateful and vindictive jihadi suicide mentality.

Meanwhile, Indian officials continue to issue reassurances on the safety of Indian reactors. To be fair, Indian reactors have incorporated more reliable features like passive cooling, which the Fukushima plant doesn't have. It's mainly the really old reactors like Tarapur which might give greater cause for concern, although it too has been given some overhauls.

But consider that India's thorium program might offer not just itself but also the wider world a safer approach to abundant nuclear energy.