Syllabus:

GS-3: Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and developing new technology.

Context: 

Recently, the Researchers at the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) in Gandhinagar have laid out a roadmap for India to achieve fusion power.

More on the News

• Researchers plan to build India’s first fusion-based electricity generator, the Steady-State Superconducting Tokamak-Bharat (SST-Bharat), designed to deliver power output 5 times of the input power. 

• It will function as a fusion–fission hybrid reactor, with about 100 MW of the total 130 MW output provied by fission. 

• The projected construction cost stands at ₹25,000 crore.

• In the long term, the goal is to commission a full-scale demonstration reactor by 2060, targeting an ambitious power output-to-input ratio of 20 and a generation capacity of 250 MW. 

• India is already participating in magnetic confinement research as a member of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project.

ITER: 

• A large multinational tokamak that is being built in France. 

• ITER will aim to produce 500 megawatts of fusion power.

• It will be an important step towards demonstrating the viability of fusion on a commercial scale.

Nuclear Fusion

• Nuclear fusion is the process where two light atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier nucleus, releasing vast amounts of energy. 

• Fusion reactions take place in a state of matter called plasma- a hot, charged gas made of positive ions and free-moving electrons with unique properties distinct from solids, liquids or gases.

• The sun, along with all other stars, is powered by this reaction. 

Tokamak: 

• The tokamak is a doughnut-shaped reactor vessel in which fusion happens. 

• Its success is measured by how long it can hold the plasma together without dissipating. The longer it can hold it, the closer we get to continuous and reliable fusion reaction.

• In February 2025, the WEST tokamak in France sustained plasma for a record 22 minutes. 

• In India, the most advanced facility is the SST-1 tokamak at IPR. It has so far achieved plasma confinement for about 650 milliseconds, and it is designed to reach up to 16 minutes.

o While SST-1 serves purely as a research platform and is not intended for electricity generation, SST-Bharat is envisioned as the next step beyond this experimental base.

• Digital Twinning: To strengthen the roadmap, Indian researchers propose digital twins - virtual replicas that reproduce real-time conditions inside a tokamak, so scientists can test designs and troubleshoot before building them physically. 

o They recommend machine learning–assisted plasma confinement and programmes to develop radiation-resistant materials. 

o Although these innovations are still at an early stage, the roadmap identifies them as critical to progress.

Advantages of Nuclear Fusion: 

• Limitless Clean Energy Potential: If nuclear fusion can be replicated on earth at an industrial scale, it could provide virtually limitless clean, safe, and affordable energy to meet the world’s demand.

• Higher Energy Yield: Fusion could generate 4 times more energy per kilogram of fuel than fission (used in nuclear power plants) and nearly 4 million times more energy than burning oil or coal.

• Abundant and Sustainable Fuel Sources: Fusion fuel is plentiful and easily accessible. Deuterium can be extracted inexpensively from seawater, and Tritium can potentially be produced from the reaction of fusion generated neutrons with naturally abundant lithium. These fuel supplies would last for millions of years. 

• Safe and Minimal Nuclear Waste: Future fusion reactors are also intrinsically safe and are not expected to produce high activity or long-lived nuclear waste.

• No Risk of Runaway Reactions: As the fusion process is difficult to start and maintain, there is no risk of a runaway reaction and meltdown.

o Fusion can only occur under strict operational conditions, outside of which (in the case of an accident or system failure), the plasma will naturally terminate, lose its energy very quickly and extinguish before any sustained damage is done to the reactor.

• Low-Carbon Electricity for the Future: Nuclear fusion, just like fission, does not emit carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, so it could be a long-term source of low-carbon electricity from the second half of this century onwards.

Challenges

• Technological challenges: Fusion process is difficult to start and maintain. It includes sustaining high-temperature plasma for extended periods and consistently achieving an output-to-input power ratio (Q) greater than 1. (ITER aims for Q=10, India targets Q=20)

• Economic Viability: The economic viability of fusion power remains uncertain due to potential high costs (R&D, construction, and operations) and long development times. 

o Unlike the US and Europe, India lacks significant private sector investment in fusion energy.

• Policy and governance frameworks: Policy framework for fusion energy are underdeveloped, with current Indian energy priorities focusing more on solar, wind, and nuclear fission.

• Timeline: Western countries and China are targeting earlier fusion deployment timelines (2030s to 2040s), while India's 2060 goal risks falling behind technologically.

Way Forward

• India needs to strengthen partnerships with global initiatives like ITER and other fusion research entities to leverage expertise, share resources, and align timelines for technological development.

• India needs to create incentives to attract private sector involvement, following global trends to accelerate R&D, innovation and reduce financial risks.

Sources:
IAEA 
The Hindu 
UKAEA