US-based Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE) has developed ANEEL fuel, a innovative blend of thorium and enriched uranium designed to transform nuclear power generation, particularly in pressurised heavy-water reactors (PHWRs).

This fuel promises to reduce India's reliance on imported uranium by leveraging the country's vast thorium reserves, aligning with the nation's long-term energy security goals. Recent developments, including NTPC's interest in acquiring a minority stake in CCTE, underscore its growing relevance amid new legislative changes.

ANEEL stands for Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life, a thorium-urania fuel optimised for existing PHWR and CANDU reactors. It combines thorium with a small amount of high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), enabling practical thorium utilisation without major reactor modifications. CCTE holds the world's largest thorium irradiation dataset and a global patent portfolio, positioning it as a leader in this technology.

The uniqueness of ANEEL lies in its superior burn-up performance, achieving over 45-50 GW days per tonne of uranium, far exceeding conventional natural uranium fuel's typical 7 GWd/tU discharge burn-up in PHWRs.

As irradiation progresses, thorium converts to uranium-233, sustaining the chain reaction and progressively reducing uranium dependency. This results in enhanced neutron economy in heavy-water moderated systems, leveraging thorium's superior thermophysical properties like higher thermal conductivity and melting point to minimise fuel cracking and fission gas release.

Safety enhancements are profound, with improved accident tolerance margins and proliferation resistance due to the fuel's composition. Spent fuel volumes drop by over 85 per cent, easing waste management burdens. Operational efficiencies include drastic cuts in refuelling needs—from eight daily bundles to one in 220 MWe PHWRs, and from 22-24 to about 2.6 in 700 MWe units—lowering costs and operational downtime.

Validation came through rigorous testing at the US Idaho National Laboratory (INL), where ANEEL endured high burn-up under demanding conditions, generating real-world performance data. This drop-in fuel maintains current geometries for seamless retrofit into operational reactors, a critical factor for swift deployment.

India's nuclear landscape provides fertile ground for ANEEL. The country boasts the world's largest thorium reserves, yet its three-stage nuclear programme has long awaited effective thorium utilisation in stage one PHWRs before advancing to breeders and thorium reactors.

Conventional PHWRs guzzle imported natural uranium—about 175 tonnes per GW annually—posing strategic vulnerabilities amid ambitions for 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047, likely dominated by PHWRs.

The SHANTI Act, 2025, revolutionises this by repealing outdated laws like the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, permitting private entities to build, own, and operate nuclear plants while capping operator liability and removing supplier liability. This opens doors for joint ventures, aligning with India-US civil nuclear frameworks and fostering innovation in small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced fuels.

CCTE's tailored plans for India emphasise scaling PHWR fleets with ANEEL to achieve fuel sovereignty under the Viksit Bharat vision. By deploying in existing 220 MWe Bharat Small Reactors and 700 MWe PHWRs, it bridges to stage three, producing uranium-233 as a strategic asset without decades-long waits for new systems. Lifecycle savings from 20-30 per cent lower levelised cost of energy (LCOE), reduced waste, and fewer imports could total billions, while enabling exports of thorium-enabled PHWR solutions.

NTPC's reported agreement for a minority stake signals strong momentum, supporting its 30 GW nuclear target and entry into the fuel cycle. Collaboration with Indian utilities, regulators, and manufacturers aims to progress from demonstrations to commercial rollout, building domestic fuel fabrication infrastructure.

Beyond PHWRs, CCTE advances ANEEL variants for light-water PWRs and SMRs, broadening thorium's reach across reactor types. For India, this not only bolsters baseload clean power for net-zero goals but positions the nation as a global leader in advanced nuclear fuels. Challenges like regulatory approvals and supply chain localisation remain, yet the technology's proven attributes and policy tailwinds herald a reshaped thorium pathway.

Based On Business Line Report

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