Maharashtra-Russia to Jointly Develop Thorium Reactors

The Maharashtra government on Friday, April 11, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Russia’s state-owned company ROSATOM to develop a Small Modular Reactor based on thorium fuel. The MoU was signed in the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis between Mahagenco and ROSATOM’s ‘Small Modular Reactor with Thorium Fuel’ initiative.

The main objective of this MoU is to jointly develop a thorium reactor in Maharashtra, commercialise thorium reactors as per safety standards of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), and establish an assembly line for thorium reactors under the ‘Make in Maharashtra’ initiative, reported the news agency PTI.

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“CM Devendra Fadnavis presided over the MoU signing between Maharashtra State Power Generation Co. Ltd (MAHAGENCO) and Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM for the development of a Small Modular Reactor based on Thorium Fuel,” the CMO said in a post on X.

The Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA) will provide strategic support for the joint development of the Small Modular Reactor with thorium fuel. All work will be carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the Government of India and AERB.

“A joint working group will be formed to facilitate coordination and research for this project. Representatives from the signing organisations Mahagenco, Rosatom Energy Projects, MITRA, and Global Technology Alliance will participate in the project’s execution. All legal provisions and safety protocols as laid out by the Government of India for nuclear energy will be strictly followed during implementation,” a CMO statement said.