Generation IV reactors

Generation IV reactors

News: In December 2023, China claimed to have begun commercial operations on a Gen IV reactor.

What are Generation IV reactors?
• Generation IV (Gen IV) reactors are nuclear reactor design technologies that are envisioned as successors of generation III reactors. The Generation IV International Forum (GIF), an international organization, coordinates the development of generation IV reactors.
• The designs target improved safety, sustainability, efficiency, and cost.
• The six designs selected by GIF are - Gascooled fast reactor (GFR), Lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR), Molten salt reactor (MSR), Sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR), Supercritical-water-cooled reactor (SCWR) and Very high-temperature reactor (VHTR)

About China’s Gen IV reactor:
• It is gas-cooled nuclear reactor power plant located in the Shidao Bay plant in eastern Shandong province.
• Unlike conventional reactors, this plant utilizes small modular reactors (SMRs), which are hightemperature reactors cooled by gas instead of pressurized water. SMRs are considered more efficient and cost-effective and can be employed for various applications such as heating, desalination, or steam for industrial purposes.

What are SMRs?
• Small modular reactors (SMRs) are a proposed class of nuclear fission reactors that are smaller than conventional nuclear reactors, which can be built in one location (such as a factory), then shipped, commissioned, and operated at a separate site
• They have a power capacity of up to 300 MW per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors.

India’s strategy for SMRs:
• India’s strategy for nuclear energy transition involves transitioning from larger nuclear power plants to smaller ones, specifically Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
• The Government is also considering offering incentives, similar to a production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, to encourage the manufacturing of small modular reactors (SMRs).
• India aims to raise nuclear power to 10% of its energy mix by 2035.