Experts clash over HALEU-Th fuel for Indian nuclear reactors Premium
The Hindu
Indian scientists and international experts are divided over a study questioning the viability of a nuclear reactor fuel called HALEU-thorium; while critics cite safety risks, proponents argue the technology is vital to achieve national energy goals.
A January report in the journal Current Science authored by scientists at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has turned radioactive with one of India’s leading nuclear scientists characterising the conclusions of the report as “misleading.”
The study compared the relative merits of different mixes of nuclear-power-grade uranium and concluded that a mix of concentrated uranium-235 and thorium, called HALEU-Th, was “unsuitable” for India’s current fleet of reactors and “undesirable” for how India’s three-stage nuclear programme is envisioned.
The assessment drew an incensed reaction from the Chicago-based company Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE). Led by Indian-origin entrepreneur Mehul Shah, the company has prepared a HaALEU-Th mix called ‘ANEEL’, short for “Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life”.
In August 2025, CCTE reported a significant burn-up – a marker of the energy output of nuclear fuel – at the Advanced Test Reactor at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory. The test was timed with the passage of the SHANTI Act 2025 in India’s Parliament, which opened the country’s nuclear power sector to foreign and private sector participation. CCTE then entered an agreement with India’s NTPC to “explore” the use of ANEEL in reactors in India. (NTPC and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India have a prior agreement to jointly operate nuclear power plants.)
Mr. Shah told The Hindu that despite an authorisation from the U.S. Department of Energy to transfer ANEEL fuel technology to India and an agreement following” assurances” provided by India’s nuclear authorities, the “next steps” haven’t taken off. This means testing it in India.
The study in Current Science involved modelling the fuel core of the pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) with three fuel combinations:
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