Union Minister Jitendra Singh outlines India's nuclear ambitions

New Delhi [India], July 22 (ANI): Union Minister of State for Prime Minister's Office and Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, highlighted the country's nuclear plans.
According to a release by the Department of Atomic Energy, India's plan to expand its nuclear energy sector to reach a generation capacity of 100 gigawatts electric (GWe) by 2047 supports the vision of Viksit Bharat and achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2070.
This strategy forms the core of the Nuclear Energy Mission (NEM) announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, which targets the development and operationalisation of at least five indigenous Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) by 2033.
According to the Department of Atomic Energy, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has undertaken the design and development of three SMR models: the 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200), the 55 MWe Small Modular Reactor (SMR-55), and an up to 5 MWth High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGCR) intended for hydrogen production.
To clear the legal pathway for this expansion, Parliament enacted the SHANTI Act, 2025.
"Parliament has enacted the SHANTI Act, 2025, focussed on the Nuclear Energy Mission of the Government of India, to achieve a target of 100 GW by 2047. This Act opens the nuclear energy sector to the private participation," the release said.
Under the capacity expansion roadmap, India's present nuclear power capacity of 8.78 GW is expected to reach about 22 GW by 2031-32 as ongoing projects reach completion. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) plans to set up an additional 32 GW beyond 2032 utilising indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) and Light Water Reactors (LWR), bringing total state-led capacity to about 54 GW by 2047.
The remaining 46 GW capacity target is expected to be built through other Public Sector Enterprises, State Governments, private entities, and Joint Ventures employing various business models and technologies.
As per the release, progress on the individual SMR projects reveals that in-principle approval for engineering and construction has been granted for all three designs. Earlier, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) approved Tarapur, Maharashtra as the site for both the BSMR-200 and SMR-55 reactors. The proposal for administrative and financial sanction for BSMR-200 has been cleared by the AEC, alongside approval from the Empowered Technology Group.
For the 5 MWth HTGCR, which acts as a nuclear heat source for thermochemical cycles like the copper-chlorine cycle, the proposed site is BARC, Vizag, where siting consent had been received. Terms of Reference for environmental clearances had been issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Beyond opening the sector to commercial participation, the legislation strengthened independent regulation by providing statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). Under the law, the regulatory body can independently draft regulations, maintain oversight, take enforcement actions, and provide recommendations to the Central Government.
As per the Department of Atomic Energy, safety mechanisms across all installations, including the Tarapur Atomic Power Station, follow strict guidelines. The Department noted that facilities incorporate defence-in-depth design principles, while radioactive waste treatment follows procedures outlined in the Atomic Energy (Safe Disposal of Radioactive Wastes) Rules, 1987, under continuous monitoring by BARC's Environmental Survey Laboratories. (ANI)