ANEEL: INDIA'S GREEN ENERGY TRANSITION

Clean Core Thorium Energy (Chicago-based company) has developed ANEEL (named after India’s scientist, Dr Anil Kakodkar): a fuel that combines Thorium and High Assay Low Enriched Uranium (HALEU).

1. ANEEL stands for: Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life
2. ANEEL offers a solution to maximize Thorium utilization in nuclear reactors.

Thorium Reserves and Green Energy Potential:

1. India possesses the world's largest Thorium reserves, estimated at 1.07 million tonnes, offering vast potential for green energy production.
2. Utilizing Thorium could greatly help reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.

Thorium's Challenge and Innovative Solution:

1. Thorium, a fertile material, traditionally requires pairing with Uranium-235 or Plutonium-239 for use as fuel.
2. ANEEL, a fuel blend comprising Thorium and specially enriched Uranium (HALEU), offers a solution, minimizing reliance on precious Uranium resources.

ANEEL in Existing Reactors:

1. Clean Core's ANEEL fuel can be utilized in India's Pressurized Heavy-Water Reactors (PHWRs), important to the country's nuclear energy sector.
2. India currently operates 18 PHWR reactors, with 10 more under construction, making ANEEL adoption potentially transformative.

Unique Characteristics of HALEU:

1. HALEU, enriched to over 5% but less than 20%, is important for advanced nuclear reactor designs.
2. Near-term commercialization plans for ANEEL could broaden the availability of HALEU, currently limited to Russia and China.

Efficiency and Waste Reduction:

1. ANEEL offers enhanced efficiency, with a burn-up of 60,000 MW-days per tonne, significantly surpassing conventional natural uranium fuel's 7,000 MW-days per tonne in PHWRs.
2. This leads to a notable reduction in nuclear waste volume and operational costs, emphasizing its environmental and economic benefits.

Global Interest and Collaborations:

1. ANEEL's interest from countries like Canada suggests its potential in global clean energy efforts.
2. Collaborations, such as the Memorandum of Understanding between Clean Core and Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, highlight ANEEL's international significance in advancing nuclear technology.

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