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The recent regulatory clearance by the US Department of Energy (DoE) for US company Holtec International to transfer technology for fabricating small modular reactors (SMRs) is a significant development that expands the range of options India has in its progress towards clean energy, said Principal Scientific Advisor Ajay Kumar Sood.
“Nuclear energy is inevitable, because if you look at the energy mix, which is required for net zero carbon by 2070, nuclear energy is integral to this energy transition period. You can’t get away from that. Given that, whatever is required: whether it is SMR or whether it is 500 MW (electric) conventional reactors or any other reactor type, all have to be used now,” said Sood.
DoE authorisation and India’s small modular reactor push
SMRs, he told The Indian Express, have a distinct advantage. “If one needs a very focused energy supply, like for data centers, an SMR offers a possible application, even if it (cost of generation) is not economical”.
On March 26, as first reported by The Indian Express, the US approval cleared Holtec International’s application for specific authorisation with respect to the restrictive regulation that is referred to as “10CFR810”. (Part 810 of Title 10, Code of Federal Regulations of the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954).
This authorisation essentially permits Holtec, with conditions, to transfer “unclassified SMR technology” to three firms in India: its regional subsidiary Holtec Asia; Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd; and Larsen & Toubro Ltd. This came two decades after the India-US civil nuclear deal was inked.
“While economics always comes into the picture, some applications can afford more cost, especially data centers, so that the public doesn’t have to pay for that. So you need a mix. There can be data centers, there can be other high-end factories where energy is required, clean energy, 24×7, which is not the case with renewables. There you can afford more cost…I would like to say that we need to keep all options open and it’s not a question of ‘or’; rather it should be, ‘and’, when it comes to multiple technologies,” said Sood.
The DoE authorisation is subject to assurances from the government extended on March 3, 2025 that the three selected private entities — L&T, TCE and Holtec Asia — will use Holtec’s tech transfer only for “peaceful nuclear activities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards and not for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices or for any military purpose”.
Many options for India’s vehicular electrification pathway
Sood’s prescription for nuclear energy finds a strong echo when it comes to electric vehicles. On EV mobility, an R&D roadmap report last year from the PSA’s office kept the technology option open. However, within sections of the government, much of the focus is on one technological pathway: battery electric vehicles. Asked about this, Sood flagged the need for options here, too, looking at what he called a range of “electro chemistries.”
“I completely agree, multiple technologies (is the way forward). Because if you take the fuel cell (technology)…green hydrogen, and the fuel cell (tech) is a very, very good option, along with EVs (battery electrics). I’m not saying EV should be (ruled) out, but in the case of EVs, I don’t think that lithium chemistry (for batteries) is the end of the world… Other electro chemistries have to be tried, and are being tried,” he said.
Sood underlined the effectiveness of solid state batteries. “(These) are the ultimate, in my view, because they will be the safest, and energy density will be the highest, but there you still have some R&D issues, so it’s still not commercial yet… But that’s where we should work. Fully solid state batteries, where the electrolyte is also solid…sodium ion batteries are already an option. It’s happening…Our R&D roadmap actually tells you which technologies you have to use now, so that you are not import dependent after five years,” said Sood. He added that based on prescription in the R&D roadmap, the first mission launched under the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (established through the ANRF Act of 2023 that was notified in February 2024 and is chaired by the Prime Minister) is on EVs and the R&D needed.
“Where we need to be competitive… it’s not a replacement R&D (research and development), there’s a difference. Something we are importing, you want to replace that. That is one option. But you have to also know what you will need after five years, three years, because R&D takes that long… So EVs are absolutely essential, but when I say EV, it should be more generic (in technology terms). Fuel Cell is one option, and (are) hybrids, and so on…a country of our size and our breadth, we need all options.”
