Syllabus: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc
India’s Electricity Demand
- India’s electricity demand growth remained flat at ~5% for past two decades relatively.
- Data centres, EVs, green hydrogen, 5G/IoT are key drivers steadily increasing electricity consumption.
India’s Data Centre Need
- Demand driven by Digital India, data localization policies, increased data consumption, 5G roll-out.
- India has 2x internet users than Europe but lags on data centre capacity (1.4 GW vs 10GW).
- Capacity might grow 2-3 times by 2027, over 5-fold by 2030 under aggressive buildout scenario.
AI Data Centre Energy Consumption
- AI data centres use GPUs: individual racks consume 80-150 KW vs 15-20 KW for traditional servers.
- Global electricity generation for data centres could surge from 460 TWh (2024) to 1,000 TWh (2030), 1,300 TWh (2035).
- China: 25% year-on-year baseload electricity growth; data centres’ consumption could reach 400+ billion kWh (2025).
- Dominion Virginia, U.S.: electricity demand growth rates projected to exceed 25% within five years.
Global Data Centre Locations
- U.S. leads with 51% global capacity in Texas, Wisconsin, Northern Virginia, Phoenix, Ohio, Pennsylvania.
- Other countries: China, Norway, UK, Germany, Japan, Malaysia planning AI infrastructure expansion.
- India: Visakhapatnam (Google), Jamnagar (Reliance) chosen for GW-scale AI data centres recently.
Power Sources
- Push towards low-carbon energy driven by corporate decarbonization targets, soaring energy demands, regulatory pressure.
- Power mix includes: intermittent renewables, onsite green hydrogen, natural gas, geothermal energy, nuclear fusion.
- Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): flexible sizing (1 MW to 300+ MW), factory manufacturing, passive safety.
- $15.4 billion invested in SMR development: $10 billion (public), $5.4 billion (private) funding worldwide.
India’s SMR Plans
- 2025 budget: Nuclear Energy Mission with ₹20,000 crore ($2.4 billion) outlay for nuclear capacity.
- Aim: reach 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047; five indigenous SMRs by 2033 operational.
- BARC’s BSMR-200 pressurized heavy water reactor; 55 MW variant for remote areas development.
- Amendments to Atomic Energy Act 1962, Civil Liability Act 2010 planned attracting $26 billion private investment.
SMR Safety Features
- Passive safety systems: require fewer external electricity sources, reduced human intervention ensuring reliability.
- Smaller reactor cores with less nuclear material; natural convection enabling automated shutdown mechanisms.
- Accident-tolerant fuels maintain structural integrity at higher temperatures; longer event sequences for mitigation.
SMR Regulation
- Global reforms focus: technology-neutral frameworks, streamlined licensing, modular manufacturing, international harmonization, risk-informed requirements.
- U.S. ADVANCE Act (2024), Canada’s Vendor Design Review, UK’s regulatory sandbox exemplify reforms.
- IAEA provides comprehensive support through SMR platform; NHSI facilitates regulatory harmonization for safe development.
Challenges
- SMR transportation: security vulnerabilities, radiation leakage risks for fuel-loaded systems requiring new regulations.
- Advanced SMR designs using HALEU or non-water coolants may generate new radioactive waste requiring disposal plans.
Q- AI data centres are emerging as major energy consumers globally. Discuss India’s preparedness to meet the energy demands of AI infrastructure while balancing sustainability goals. (15 marks, 250 words)