The most powerful form of energy available today is Nuclear Energy. At present the generation of Nuclear power is more efficient and create zero carbon emissions but still it has a lot of potential disadvantages like nuclear meltdown and radioactive wastes which remain hazardous for thousands of years. Currently the process of nuclear fission has been used for power generation. Scientists are still looking a way out to introduce Nuclear fusion which is several times more potent than fission and generates zero nuclear waste because the fuel used is Hydrogen and not radioactive compounds.
Taking the move ahead, the upcoming plasma-based world’s largest reactor will aim to generate clean energy from nuclear fusion to meet the ever rise in demand of commercial electricity, and in the process empowering industry across the world, which includes Indian manufacturing industries as well.
The first two sections of 1,250-tonne cryostat base have been constructed by involving Larsen & Toubro (L&T) making it single largest procurement contribution to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) from India.
ITER facility that spans over 42 hectares in Saint-Paul-Les-Durance, some 35 km north of Aix-en-Provence in the south of France is a nuclear research and engineering project and will be the world’s largest magnetic confinement plasma physics experiment. The project requires millions of manufacturing components, therefore, boosting the manufacturing industry directly.
ITER Director-General Bernard Bigot in the cryostat workshop where the components delivered from India was assembled and welded said that ITER facility offers industry and the scientific community equal opportunity to grow and to prepare in distributing clean energy of the future.
India is one of the seven nations aiming to prove that nuclear fusion along with wind, solar and other renewable resources is a clean source of energy which can easily replace the non-renewable sources which are eroding at a faster pace.
As quoted by Bigot in media, “In this project, Indian companies have delivered all cooling systems, cryo lines, warmlines, neutron seals and various other related components and therefore Indian industry is efficiently meeting the delivery deadlines of the project and performing very well.
Indian companies including public and private sector are involved in ITER through domestic agency ITER-India. Few big names like Inox India Ltd., Tata Consultancy Services, Engineers India Ltd., and firms like Kirloskar Brothers, Kirloskar Chillers, Kirloskar Pumps, Kirloskar Motors, Paharpur Cooling Towers and Electronics Corporation of India Ltd are in the forefront. The project has raised scope for boosting the Indian manufacturing industry and employment both. The participation in the ITER project is helping the industry to push their engineering and technologies skills to a far extent and to gain direct experience in the future of fusion technology.
In ITER pact, the seven nations share the original procurement and India received 9.1% share. Further, the contribution of India will be 90% components delivery and 10% cash for operational budget. The same pact will be followed by other six nations also with different percentage of share. The 10% cash contribution gives India access to all the data and technologies used without paying for royalties on the patent.
The components delivered by India will be worth `10,000 crores which make the ITER project a booster for the Indian manufacturing industry. A mark in the global project will surely make India confident about its Industry, and it will also enable India to be the future supplier of fusion energy rather than a buyer.
