In this episode of Beyond the Indus, Dr. Anil Kakodkar, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India and one of the principal architects of India’s civilian nuclear program, joins us to discuss the history and future of India’s three-stage nuclear program, following this year’s historic breakthrough at Kalpakkam.
We discuss the strategic logic behind Homi Bhabha’s 1950s vision for a path to thorium-based energy independence, the scientific and technical challenges of fast breeder reactor technology, India’s decades of nuclear isolation, the safety record of nuclear power and how public perceptions were shaped by Chernobyl and Fukushima, and the role of nuclear power as a complement to renewable energy in global fight towards net zero. Dr. Kakodkar also argues that India’s thorium fuel cycle represents a proliferation-resistant model for meeting long-term global energy needs.
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