With growing energy needs should India keep on expanding its nuclear energy programme? Discuss the facts and fears associated with nuclear energy.
Approach · directive: “should / discuss”
What it asks · Take a reasoned stand on expanding nuclear power, weighing the facts (low-carbon baseload, fuel security, thorium) against the fears (accidents, waste, cost, liability).
The question has 3 parts — answer each
- Discuss the facts: the case for nuclear power — firm low-carbon supply, fuel security, the three-stage programme and thorium
- Discuss the fears: accidents, waste, cost, liability and local opposition
- Should India keep expanding? A reasoned verdict with the conditions attached
Open with · Nuclear power gives round-the-clock, low-carbon electricity, but accidents, waste and cost make it contentious; India's three-stage programme aims at long-term energy security using its thorium.
Cover
- Facts for: firm, low-carbon power that supports climate goals, a small land footprint, mature indigenous reactor designs, and fleet-mode construction of 700 MW reactors, approved in 2017, to cut cost and time.
- Energy need: a growing economy needs reliable power beyond polluting, import-dependent coal and intermittent renewables; nuclear complements them and adds fuel security, though its share is small today.
- Three-stage programme: natural-uranium heavy-water reactors, then fast breeders using plutonium, then thorium-based reactors, to use India's abundant thorium and limited uranium.
- Fears: accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima, radiation risk, long-lived radioactive waste, decommissioning costs, and vulnerability to natural hazards and terrorism.
- Local concerns: land acquisition, livelihood loss and mistrust at sites such as Kudankulam and Jaitapur; open safety information and community consent are needed.
- Economics and regulation: high capital cost and long gestation; the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 shapes supplier participation; calls to strengthen the regulator's independence.
- Way forward: expand cautiously with best safety practice, indigenous technology and thorium research, sound waste management, transparent communication, and renewables and storage alongside.
Close with · India should keep expanding nuclear power in a calibrated way as part of a diverse energy mix, but only with independent regulation, a strong safety culture and public trust.
Add value (verified)
- In April 2026 the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam attained first criticality; DAE calls fast breeders the bridge from today's heavy water reactors to future thorium-based reactors. Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu attains First Criticality, Department of Atomic Energy, press release (7 April 2026) ↗“Fast breeder technology forms the vital bridge between the current fleet of pressurized heavy water reactors and the future deployment of thorium-based reactors, leveraging the country’s abundant thorium resources for long-term clean energy generation.”
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2018, GS Paper III — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 321 words (UPSC limit 250) · Minimalist IAS
Nuclear power supplies round-the-clock electricity without carbon emissions, yet accidents, waste and cost keep it contentious; India's three-stage programme ties expansion to long-term energy security built on its thorium.
The facts
- Firm, low-carbon supply: a growing economy needs reliable power beyond import-dependent, polluting coal and intermittent renewables; nuclear plants run continuously on a small land footprint and support climate goals.
- Indigenous capability: mature pressurised heavy water reactor designs, and fleet-mode construction of 700 MW reactors approved in 2017 to cut cost and time.
- Fuel security: the three-stage programme moves from natural-uranium heavy water reactors to fast breeders using plutonium, and then to thorium-based reactors, making the most of scarce uranium and abundant thorium (since then, the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam reached first criticality in April 2026).
- Small share today: nuclear supplies only a sliver of India's electricity, so expansion adds diversity rather than dependence.
The fears
- Safety: Chernobyl and Fukushima show the scale of a worst case; radiation risk, natural hazards and terrorism worry citizens.
- Waste and decommissioning: long-lived radioactive waste needs secure storage for generations, and closing plants is costly.
- Economics: high capital cost and long gestation, when solar tariffs keep falling.
- Liability and regulation: the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 shapes how far suppliers will participate, and critics want a regulator more independent of the Department of Atomic Energy.
- Local opposition: land acquisition, lost livelihoods and mistrust at Kudankulam and Jaitapur show that consent cannot be assumed.
Should India expand?
- Yes, in a calibrated way: nuclear complements renewables and storage in a diverse mix and is India's surest route to firm clean power.
- Conditions: an independent regulator, a strong safety culture, indigenous technology and thorium research, sound waste management, open safety information and genuine community consent.
India should keep expanding nuclear power as one pillar of a diverse energy mix, but only at the pace that independent regulation, safety and public trust allow.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.