NEWS – For the first time, India’s nuclear program has involved a private entity—TEMA India—for a core process previously handled solely by BARC (Bhabha Atomic Research Centre). TEMA India will test equipment used to upgrade depleted heavy water (D₂O), essential for Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs).

HIGHLIGHTS

• TEMA India inaugurated a private test facility in Achchad, Palghar district, ~100 km north of Mumbai.
• The facility will manufacture, integrate, and test components like distillation columns before sending them to nuclear reactor sites.

Strategic Benefits

• Developed under technology transfer from BARC and a purchase order from NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd).
• Expected to cut equipment readiness time by 1–2 years, compared to earlier 7–8 years timeline.
• Provides a “single-point solution” for heavy water upgradation.

Technical Importance of Heavy Water (D₂O)

• Heavy water is used as a coolant and neutron moderator in PHWRs.
• Must be 99.9% pure to function effectively.
• Over time, it gets diluted and needs re-distillation to regain purity.

Deployment and Future Projects

• First batch dispatched to Rawatbhata Nuclear Plant (RAPP-8), Rajasthan; scheduled to go critical by Dec 2025.
• Future supplies planned for Gorakhpur (Haryana) and Kaiga (Karnataka) reactors.

National Nuclear Expansion Goals

• India targets 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047; current capacity is 8,780 MW from 24 reactors.
• Goal: 22.4 GW by 2032.
• A ₹20,000-crore Nuclear Energy Mission aims to develop Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).