Nuclear Energy in India : Updates

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Heavy Water Board, in collaboration with BARC, starts construction of a demo plant for hydrogen production using the Iodine-Sulphur (I-S) process at RCF, Mumbai. The cutting-edge technology coupled with nuclear energy offers a clean and scalable hydrogen solution! 1/2

A step towards energy independence and a low-carbon future: The groundbreaking ceremony for the first-of-its-kind I-S process hydrogen plant was held on March 3, 2025, in the august presence of Secretary, DAE & Chairman, AEC; Director, BARC; Chairman & CE, HWB; and CMD, RCF. 2/2

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Nuclear power road map towards 100 GW goal likely by month end

By Shilpa Samant
Last Updated: Mar 06, 2025, 01:24:00 AM IST
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Synopsis
India is set to finalize a road map under the Nuclear Energy Mission to achieve 100 GW of nuclear power by March end. An inter-ministerial committee will outline steps to support this goal, including the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) and joint ventures. The initiative aims to address rising power demand and achieve 'net zero' by 2070.​

New Delhi: India will likely firm up a road map under the Nuclear Energy Mission by March end to generate 100 GW of nuclear power capacity for Viksit Bharat. An inter-ministerial committee comprising officials from the Department of Atomic Energy and ministry of power will formulate pathways to achieve nuclear energy goals announced in the budget, people aware of the development said.

"Details are being worked out. The road map may work on the possibilities of joint development of nuclear energy projects by entities," a senior government official said. The road map is likely to specify steps required to support the capacity addition and remove the existing hurdles, another person said.

The first meeting of the committee is likely to be held on March 6 in Mumbai, another person said. The committee includes members from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India as well, they added. India has vowed to expand its nuclear energy base to address rising demand in the path towards a being a developed economy, potential demand from data centres, and achieve 'net zero' by 2070.

In the budget, the government said the new technology of small modular reactors (SMRs), considered a game-changer for hard-to-abate sectors, will get ₹20,000 crore for research and development. The mission will also see at least five indigenously developed SMRs operationalized by 2033.

The power ministry has been actively involved in ramping up the country's nuclear energy capacity through NTPC's 2,800 MW Mahi Banswara project in Rajasthan in a joint venture with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, which comes under the Department of Atomic Energy, with an estimated investment of ₹45,000-50,000 crore.

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NTPC will further invest around ₹3-4 lakh crore in nuclear power projects over the next 23 years, ET had reported in November.

The government's intent to amend the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act for greater private participation has garnered interest from overseas companies. Russian nuclear firm Rosatom has offered India the expertise to build small modular reactors, apart from France's EDF, ET reported in February.

Private sector participation in atomic energy was first infused in the public-private partnership mode in the budget for FY25 with the announcement of development of Bharat Small Reactors (BSR).

Following the announcement, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India issued a request for proposal, inviting industries to set up 220 MW of BSRs for their use, which is in process.

Nuclear power road map towards 100 GW goal likely by month end
 
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Ashwin said:
www.thehindu.com

Design stage of small modular nuclear reactor completed: Jitendra Singh

India's Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR) project, based on proven technology, aims to boost nuclear power capacity by 2047.
www.thehindu.com www.thehindu.com
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It will take 60-72 months for the reactor to be constructed, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology … If the design is ready for construction, we shouldn't be spending 5 to 6 years on construction. It seems we need time to test. This process is so slow we should talk with Russia and France to build a few SMRs immediately to start to address our energy needs more promptly.
 
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India's third home-built 700 MW nuclear reactor starts operations​



Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) on Match 17 commissioned India's third indigenous 700 MW pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) in Rajasthan, taking India's nuclear power generation capacity to 8,880 megawatt (MW).

The Unit 7 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) at Rawatbhata “was connected to the Northern Grid today at 02:37 hrs, after complying with all pre-requisites including those stipulated by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB)”, the company said in a statement on March 17. “The power level of the unit will be increased in steps to full power, in line with the regulatory clearances.”


RAPP-7 is the third reactor of the 700 MW series of 16 indigenous PHWRs being set up in the country. These India-made reactors have advanced safety features and are among the safest in the world, according to the company.

"The successful grid connection of RAPP-7, after the smooth operation of the first two 700 MW PHWRs - KAPS 3 and 4 (2X700 MW) at Kakrapar in Gujarat, establishes the robustness of the NPCIL's 700 MW PHWR design and the capabilities of NPCIL and the Indian industries," the company said.


Nuclear power is not renewable energy but is a zero-emission clean energy source. It generates power through fission, which is the process of splitting uranium atoms to produce energy. The heat released is used to create steam that spins a turbine to generate electricity without the harmful by-products emitted by fossil fuels.

The PHWR technology uses natural uranium, heavy water coolant, and a horizontal cylindrical vessel called a calandria to produce nuclear energy.

NPCIL chairman and managing director Bhuwan Chandra Pathak told Moneycontrol that these 700 MW nuclear reactors will play a significant role in meeting target of 100 gigawatts by 2047, as announced under the Nuclear Energy Mission.


A typical 700 MW reactor would generate about 5.2 billion units of clean electricity (at 85 percent plant load factor) annually, averting about 4.5 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions.

Rawatbhata already has six units with a total capacity of 1,180 MW. With the commissioning of RAPP-7, NPCIL now operates 25 reactors.

India is turning to nuclear energy as it cannot only rely on renewable energy to achieve its net zero target by 2047. Renewable energy is intermittent in the absence of affordable storage solutions. Nuclear energy can help meet India's growing power demand.


India's third home-built 700 MW nuclear reactor starts operations
 
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India is expected to add 1,400 megawatts (MW) of nuclear power in 2025, the largest such capacity addition in a year in the country, National Nuclear Power Corporation of India chairman and managing director Bhuwan Chandra Pathak said on March 17.

Moneycontrol spoke to Pathak within hours of commissioning of a 700 MW home-built pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) in Rawatbhata. The next reactor, RAPP-8, is expected to begin commercial operations by the end of the year, he said.

“RAPP-7, the 700 MW capacity indigenous PHWR type reactor at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan, has been synchronised to the grid at 2.37 am of March 17, 2025, after complying with all pre-requisites including those stipulated by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB),” Pathak told Moneycontrol.

“The power level of the unit will be increased in steps to full power, in line with the regulatory clearances. It is a milestone achieved under the National Nuclear Energy Mission.”

The two reactors will take India's total nuclear power capacity to 9,580 MW from the current 8,180 MW. With RAPP-7 now commissioned, the capacity has grown to 8,880 MW.


India is expected to add 1,400 megawatts (MW) of nuclear power in 2025, the largest such capacity addition in a year in the country, National Nuclear Power Corporation of India chairman and managing director Bhuwan Chandra Pathak said on March 17.

Moneycontrol spoke to Pathak within hours of commissioning of a 700 MW home-built pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) in Rawatbhata. The next reactor, RAPP-8, is expected to begin commercial operations by the end of the year, he said.

“RAPP-7, the 700 MW capacity indigenous PHWR type reactor at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan, has been synchronised to the grid at 2.37 am of March 17, 2025, after complying with all pre-requisites including those stipulated by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB),” Pathak told Moneycontrol.

“The power level of the unit will be increased in steps to full power, in line with the regulatory clearances. It is a milestone achieved under the National Nuclear Energy Mission.”

The two reactors will take India's total nuclear power capacity to 9,580 MW from the current 8,180 MW. With RAPP-7 now commissioned, the capacity has grown to 8,880 MW.


NPCIL to add 1,400 MW nuclear power capacity this year, says CMD Bhuwan Chandra Pathak
 
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South block said:
We need bigger indigenous nuclear reactor , Like 1500 MWe + range.
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There was a proposal to develop a iphwr-900 reactor but it was scrapped. Guess bigger reactors take more time to build and are also costly and could lead to disarray like what happened in Hinkley point C. Smaller reactors being mass-produced are much better.
 
Prokion said:
There was a proposal to develop a iphwr-900 reactor but it was scrapped. Guess bigger reactors take more time to build and are also costly and could lead to disarray like what happened in Hinkley point C. Smaller reactors being mass-produced are much better.
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Dispersed multiple small modular reactor are basically a anxiety nightmare & they are no way less costly.... Very high skilled workforce that would be needed to support such plants would be enormous compared to bigger reactors concentrated in a small area region.
 
TARGET said:
It will take 60-72 months for the reactor to be constructed, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology … If the design is ready for construction, we shouldn't be spending 5 to 6 years on construction. It seems we need time to test. This process is so slow we should talk with Russia and France to build a few SMRs immediately to start to address our energy needs more promptly.
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It doesn't seem like BSMR is all that 'modular' as claimed. Seems to be just a downscaled IPHWR-220.

Not sure if it's feasible to mass-produce these reactors on a production line (which is what SMRs are meant for). We can certainly get the price down to affordable levels (our reactors are plenty cheap to begin with, even the big ones) but I'm not sure about the modularity/ease of production part.
 
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Parthu said:
It doesn't seem like BSMR is all that 'modular' as claimed. Seems to be just a downscaled IPHWR-220.

Not sure if it's feasible to mass-produce these reactors on a production line (which is what SMRs are meant for). We can certainly get the price down to affordable levels (our reactors are plenty cheap to begin with, even the big ones) but I'm not sure about the modularity/ease of production part.
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The SMR reactor design can be based on an older model, it's the production process that's changed.

IPHWR-220 is a proven design, so it's not surprising it was chosen for mass production.
 
randomradio said:
it's the production process that's changed.
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But did it change enough though?

The IPHWR-700s at Kakrapar were expected to be built in ~7 years (delays made it 10 years but that's a different issue). 5-6 years is still too high.

Most SMRs in development are designed to be built in 2-4 years max. We may need to compress our timeline further - but not being a ground-up new design, we might be somewhat limited in how much we can change the process.

The time we're going to save in not having to certify an all-new design, we'll lose down the line as we go to mass production. This will have implications for operators.

Especially as US is likely to press for exports of their SMRs. The BSMR might end up being limited to State-owned buyers (Coal India, ONGC etc.) while most Private companies might go for foreign SMRs.
 
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Parthu said:
But did it change enough though?

The IPHWR-700s at Kakrapar were expected to be built in ~7 years (delays made it 10 years but that's a different issue). 5-6 years is still too high.

Most SMRs in development are designed to be built in 2-4 years max. We may need to compress our timeline further - but not being a ground-up new design, we might be somewhat limited in how much we can change the process.

The time we're going to save in not having to certify an all-new design, we'll lose down the line as we go to mass production. This will have implications for operators.

Especially as US is likely to press for exports of their SMRs. The BSMR might end up being limited to State-owned buyers (Coal India, ONGC etc.) while most Private companies might go for foreign SMRs.
Click to expand...

5-6 years seems normal for first of its class. Once production is streamlined, it should only take 3 years.

Anyway, we need foreign SMRs too. We plan on building 100 GW of nuke power in total before 2050. And 40 Indian SMRs will give only 9 GW.
 
Parthu said:
It doesn't seem like BSMR is all that 'modular' as claimed. Seems to be just a downscaled IPHWR-220.

Not sure if it's feasible to mass-produce these reactors on a production line (which is what SMRs are meant for). We can certainly get the price down to affordable levels (our reactors are plenty cheap to begin with, even the big ones) but I'm not sure about the modularity/ease of production part.
Click to expand...
I agree. The concept of SMR is mainly modular. That means it can be constructed in one place and assembled anywhere to generate power. The reactor should have minimal on-site construction. The concept and design can be derived from existing technology we are good with PHWR. 5 to 6 years seem to be needed to prove the concept, which is in drawing and needs to be certified, mainly for safety related checks.
 
New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh has announced that North India's first nuclear power project is being developed in Gorakhpur, Haryana. The project is part of India's broader efforts to expand its nuclear energy capacity and reduce carbon emissions.

The government has also reaffirmed its commitment to the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project in Maharashtra, which will be the country's largest nuclear power facility once completed. The project, which has faced delays due to changes in agreements with French stakeholders, is now moving forward with technical agreements finalized and commercial negotiations underway.

Jaitapur project and environmental clearance

Jitendra Singh addressed concerns raised in the Lok Sabha regarding the Jaitapur project, stating that its environmental clearance is under renewal and that necessary safeguards have been put in place. He reiterated the government's confidence in the project's safety, dismissing objections related to its location in a seismic zone and potential risks to marine life.

"Concerns about risks to marine life and local livelihoods have been raised repeatedly, and every time, the government has tried to allay all these apprehensions that there is no such risk to the marine life, the fisheries, or the people living around," Singh said. He clarified that the project's environmental clearance, which expired in December 2022, was delayed due to procedural reasons rather than new environmental concerns. "If there were very serious environmental hazards or any apprehension or evidence, then we would not have got the environmental clearance even earlier," he added.


Jaitapur to contribute 10 per centof India's nuclear energy target

The Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant will have six reactors, each with a capacity of 1,730 MW, making a total of 10,380 MW. The project is expected to contribute 10 per centto India's 100 GW nuclear energy target by 2047.

The minister also addressed concerns about nuclear liability, stating that India's Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) framework ensures clear safeguards. The primary responsibility lies with the operator, and an insurance pool of ₹1,500 crore has been set up, with additional government commitments if needed. India has also aligned with global compensation mechanisms to ensure financial security in case of an incident.


Private sector participation in nuclear energy

In a significant policy move, the government is opening the nuclear energy sector to private participation to accelerate expansion. Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the Gorakhpur Nuclear Power Plant in Haryana as part of this broader strategy.

With India targeting net-zero emissions by 2070, the Jaitapur and Gorakhpur projects are expected to play a crucial role in the country's clean energy transition.


North India's first nuclear project coming up in Haryana: Govt
 
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