Abhay Karandikar, member of NITI Aayog, said India must review green finance frameworks and develop a robust nuclear workforce to meet its target of 100 gigawatt (GW) nuclear capacity by 2047. He presented the position at the Bharat Electricity 2026 event and said policy reform and capacity building are critical to unlock private and global investment. The remarks positioned labour and regulatory reform as central to scaling the sector.

Karandikar called for review of sovereign green bond, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) green deposit and Securities and Exchange Board green debt securities frameworks that presently exclude nuclear energy to allow access to green finance. He said NITI Aayog has formed a committee to chart a capacity building roadmap. The aim is to support sustainable sector growth and attract long term capital.

Invest India noted data centre capacity is projected to rise from 1.7 GW today to 10 GW by 2032, increasing demand for stable supplies. The official added that with 725,000 tonne (t) of green hydrogen tendered and rising industrial loads, nuclear will be important for baseload and grid stability, and indigenisation could cut costs by 30 per cent. The Central Electricity Authority chair said India commissioned a record 64,000 megawatt (MW) of new capacity last year and is targeting 70,000 MW this year.

India currently operates 25 nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of about 8.8 GW across seven sites, and projects under way are expected to lift capacity to nearly 22 GW by 2032. Achieving 100 GW by 2047 will require advanced technologies, robust supply chains and innovative financing models, along with accelerated site identification and streamlined regulatory approvals aimed at under 10 years. Building skilled manpower at scale is essential to translate targets into deliverable projects.