The US-based nuclear fuel technology company Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) is preparing to make a strategic entry into India after recently receiving the critical 10 CFR Part 810 export license from the US Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).

This authorisation allows CCTE to commercially export its thorium-enriched nuclear fuel technology abroad, including to India, making it one of the first movers in the niche yet highly promising clean nuclear energy space.

The approval itself was enabled only after India’s Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) provided formal assurances to US authorities, underscoring the high-level bilateral cooperation around advanced nuclear technologies.

Founded in 2017 by Mehul Shah, CCTE has focused on designing and patenting a proprietary thorium-based fuel known as Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life (ANEEL). This innovative fuel is engineered for use in India’s existing pressurized heavy-water reactors (PHWRs)—the backbone of the country’s nuclear fleet.

Significantly, ANEEL fuel can be deployed in 700 MW reactors without any modification, while requiring only minimal changes in smaller 220 MW reactors, thereby reducing costs and accelerating the adoption timeline.

Since India currently relies on natural uranium for PHWRs under its three-stage nuclear energy program, the introduction of thorium-enriched fuel represents a strategic step toward optimizing reactor efficiency, reducing nuclear waste, and aligning with India’s long-standing vision of eventually leveraging its abundant thorium reserves.

CCTE’s engagement with India is not limited to regulatory discussions. The company has already moved to establish institutional partnerships to build credibility and pilot its technology. In 2024, CCTE signed a strategic pact with NTPC Ltd, India’s largest state-run power utility, to jointly explore thorium-based fuel applications in PHWRs.

Additionally, it entered into a memorandum of understanding with Larsen & Toubro (L&T)—a heavyweight in nuclear engineering and EPC projects—to collaborate on scaling and deploying clean energy solutions globally, with India as a major theatre. These alliances reflect a carefully crafted strategy to embed CCTE within both India’s public-sector nuclear ecosystem and its emerging private participation space.

The timing of CCTE’s India move is particularly noteworthy. The Indian government, through its most recent union budget announcements, has signalled its intent to amend the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, thus paving the way for private-sector investment and participation in nuclear power—a domain previously restricted only to government entities.

With India targeting 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047 as part of its long-term decarbonization agenda, international partnerships are expected to accelerate technology infusion, financing, and project execution. CCTE positions itself as one such partner offering a ready-to-integrate thorium-uranium fuel, a solution that could allow India to enhance the productivity of existing reactors while building a bridge toward the future deployment of thorium-driven reactors under its Stage-II and Stage-III program designs.

On the fuel supply chain front, CCTE has confirmed that its ANEEL fuel will initially be manufactured in the United States using thorium sourced there to ensure fast-track market entry. However, as the business scales in India, the company is open to leveraging India’s own vast thorium resources, especially the beach sands of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Odisha, marking a critical step toward strategic indigenization. If realized, this transition would align strongly with India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliance) ambitions in the nuclear sector.

From a technology standpoint, ANEEL fuel offers multiple advantages over conventional uranium-based fuels. It is designed to improve fuel burn-up rates (extracting more energy per unit of fuel), reduce long-lived radioactive waste, and potentially lower costs of waste management and storage. 

Additionally, thorium-enriched fuel inherently improves nuclear safety due to its favourable physicochemical characteristics, a point that resonates with India’s focus on balancing energy security with safety and environmental considerations.

In wider strategic terms, CCTE’s India engagement dovetails with global trends of diversifying nuclear fuel supply away from traditional uranium sources, as well as the broader geopolitics of energy security. 

The US, through licensing firms like CCTE, is effectively strengthening clean energy cooperation with India, counterbalancing the long-standing Russia-India nuclear collaboration and offering India an alternative technology pathway that aligns with the goals of energy transition, strategic autonomy, and climate action.

For India, welcoming thorium-based solutions also reinforces its role as a pioneer in alternative nuclear research, consistent with the country’s legacy of investing early in thorium utilization under Dr. Homi Bhabha’s three-stage nuclear vision.

In conclusion, Clean Core Thorium Energy’s entry plan for India represents more than just a technology export. It is an interplay of nuclear diplomacy, strategic partnerships, technological innovation, and policy modernisation.

With an export license secured, alliances in place with NTPC and L&T, and active engagement with Indian regulators, CCTE is positioning itself as a key partner in India’s ambitious nuclear roadmap.

If India’s proposed legal amendments enabling private sector participation materialize, the company may also expand collaborations beyond the state-led ecosystem, possibly ushering in a new cooperative era of public-private partnerships in nuclear energy. Given India’s 100 GW nuclear capacity vision by 2047, CCTE’s thorium fuel could play a pivotal role in enhancing reactor efficiency today while laying the groundwork for a thorium-driven future tomorrow.

Based On ET News Report