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India has initially planned to develop its own ITER-scale reactor by 2035-40 but believes that ITER participation will cut down that time by at least 20 years since learning time to pick up 90% of the technology will be shared. Kaw said that India will not make monetary contributions but will supply crucial components like cryostat, steel shield inside the reactor vessel, ion-cyclotron heating system, a diagnostic neutral beam, and cooling water and
cryo-distribution system.
The ITER project will be located at Cadarache in France and the other six members of the consortium are European Union, United States, Russia, China, Japan, and South Korea. India had earlier participated in the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) large hadron collider project with indigenously designed and developed equipment. That contribution earned it observer status in CERN.
As the world rapidly depletes fossil fuels, there is increased search for alternate fuels that are also environmentally friendly. The US & Russia are in a race to build permanent industrial-grade stations on the moon to trap and transport rare isotope Helium-3 for use in thermonuclear
reactors by 2020.
Kakodkar believes that “a hundred years from now, fusion may become the best source of energy.” |
