Why Top Nuclear Scientist Anil Kakodkar Wants India To Move To Thorium Fuels Early

Dr Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of India’s Atomic Energy Commission, has strongly advocated for introducing thorium-based fuel into India’s indigenous nuclear fleet.
Speaking at the 6th International Climate Summit in September 2026, he highlighted that a structural deficit in the global uranium supply market makes transitioning to thorium a necessity for India’s long-term energy independence, the Indian Express reported.

WHAT KAKODKAR SUGGESTED

Traditionally, India’s three-stage nuclear programme is sequential: Stage 1: Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) using natural uranium. Stage 2: Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) that use plutonium from Stage 1 to breed more fuel. Stage 3: Thorium-based reactors utilizing India’s vast thorium reserves. Kakodkar suggested anearlier

introduction of thoriumby blending it directly into the current indigenous PHWR fleet. This approach could significantly fast-track entry into the third stage, the IE reported. India plans to deploy roughly half of its targeted 100 gigawatts-electric (GWe) nuclear capacity by 2047 using PHWR technology. Kakodkar pointed out that these heavy water reactors possess immense fuel flexibility. They can be adapted to run on a mix of thorium and High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) without changing the external design of the existing reactor systems. Because thorium is “fertile” rather than “fissile” (it cannot sustain a nuclear chain reaction on its own), it must be recycled alongside a fissile driver like uranium or plutonium. Kakodkar emphasises that while a “once-through” uranium cycle limits energy potential, nuclear fuel recycling increases the energy potential of the resource 70 to 100 times.

WHY MOVING TO THORIUM WILL HELP

Moving to thorium fuels will fundamentally transform India’s energy landscapeby unlocking long-term fuel security and accelerating its target of achieving 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047. Because India holds nearly 25% of the world’s thorium reserves but less than 2% of global uranium, shifting to thorium transitions the country from a vulnerable energy importer to a self-reliant powerhouse.
India currently imports over 70% of its uranium. Thorium is abundantly available in domestic coastal and riverine sands (monazite), eliminating geopolitical supply risks.
Thorium-based fuel cycles are highly efficient and can potentially sustain India’s clean energy grids for several centuries.
Thorium reactors produce significantly lower volumes of long-lived radioactive waste. Additionally, the fuel is highly resistant to nuclear proliferation.

WHAT HAS BEEN DONE SO FAR

In April 2026, India achieved a massive breakthrough when the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam attained first criticality. The PFBR uses a thorium blanket around its core. As it operates, it bombards the thorium with neutrons to produce Uranium-233—the exact fissile fuel needed to spark Stage 3 thorium reactors.
The government passed the SHANTI Act in 2025, which permits private sector participation in nuclear operations and fuel management for the first time. Major domestic companies (like Tata Power, Reliance, and JSW Energy) have actively bid to finance and build a proposed fleet of Bharat Small Reactors (BSRs).
To fast-track thorium integration into PHWRs,international boundaries are opening up.Major collaborations, including partnerships involving a prominent US nuclear firm and NTPC, have been initiated to secure HALEU technology and clear nuclear technology transfers to India.
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has successfully run the KAMINI reactor, a low-power research reactor fueled entirely by Uranium-233 bred from thorium, proving the core physics of the third stage work seamlessly.