Clean Core Thorium Partners with NTPC Following L&T Collaboration.

Clean Core Thorium Energy (CCTE), a US-headquartered company with Indian roots, has announced a partnership with NTPC, India’s largest integrated power producer. This collaboration marks NTPC’s strategic step into the nuclear energy sector, leveraging CCTE’s innovative fuel technology to harness India’s abundant thorium reserves.

CCTE’s nuclear fuel, named ANEEL (Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life), combines thorium with high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU). This fuel can be used directly in India’s existing Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors, unlocking the potential of India’s estimated one million tonnes of thorium reserves. These reserves, considered one of the largest in the world, have the potential to provide energy for centuries.

This partnership follows CCTE’s earlier tie-up with L&T in October, reflecting its growing footprint in India’s nuclear energy landscape. However, ANEEL is still undergoing irradiation tests at the Idaho National Laboratory in the US, and its implementation in India would require HALEU imports.

The agreement with NTPC aims to explore several avenues, including the development and deployment of ANEEL fuel in India, indigenizing its manufacturing process, building a local supply chain, and establishing a secure supply chain for HALEU. Additionally, the partnership seeks to ensure uranium supply to India with a sovereign guarantee.

CCTE was founded by Mehul Shah, an Indian-origin entrepreneur, and has strong backing from prominent figures such as Lakshmi Narayanan, former CEO of Cognizant; Dr. Anil Kakodkar, former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission; and M.K. Narayanan, former National Security Adviser.

The use of ANEEL fuel, which is also proliferation-resistant, could position India as a global leader in thorium-based nuclear energy, paving the way for a sustainable and secure energy future.

HBL