- Nuclear energy production in India is set to get a major boost with the department of atomic energy (DAE) giving nod to set up the country’s own thermo-nuclear fusion reactor
- India is presently one of the seven partner countries in world’s biggest energy research project – the ITER – that is coming up in Cadarche, France.
- the central government has sanctioned Rs 2,500 crore to seed research in nuclear fusion.
- All nuclear plants in India at present are fission-based.
- Generating electricity through fusion is comparatively economical and safer. ITER-India, a division of the Gandhinagar-based Institute of Plasma Research, is the nodal agency under DAE, responsible for delivery of ITER contributions from India.
- Four Indian companies including two based in Gujarat have been awarded contracts to prepare large components which will be fabricated and sourced from India for ITER.
- INOXCVA, a subsidiary of Vadodara-based Inox India Limited, has already set up a manufacturing facility at Halol to manufacture cryolines which will carry cryogens (liquid helium and nitrogen) from cryoplant to the ITER magnets and other components for the fusion project.