Mumbai: Maharashtra has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Russia’s state-owned company ROSATOM to develop a small modular reactor based on thorium fuel.
This is perhaps the first time a state government will be venturing into the arena of nuclear energy, which has otherwise been exclusively under the control of the Department of Atomic Energy.
However, a senior state government official on Friday stressed that any step forward would be taken only after the approval of the Centre.
“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.
