Using thorium as atomic fuel won't end imports: Govt

Shifting over to the use of thorium as a nuclear fuel will not end the dependence on imports of nuclear fuel, the Union government told the Lok Sabha today.

Natural uranium, which is imported, contains fissile isotopes (U-235) that undergoes nuclear fission in a reactor to produce energy. It is not possible to build a nuclear reactor using thorium (Th-232) alone, since it has to be converted to U-233 in a reactor before it can be used as fuel, Jitendra Singh, the minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), said while replying to a question in the Lower House.

"Shifting over to the use of thorium as a nuclear fuel would not end the dependence on imports of nuclear fuel," Singh said.

India has vast quantities of thorium, a weakly-radioactive metallic chemical element. Due to this, Dr Homi Bhabha, the father of Indian nuclear programme, envisaged a three-stage nuclear programme.

The Indian nuclear programme is at the first stage. It is expected to move on to the second stage soon by introducing fast-breeder reactors. Use of thorium has been envisaged under the third stage.

The country currently imports uranium from Kazakhstan, Russia and Canada for its pressurised heavy-water reactors (PHWR) and two boiling-water reactors.