+
India Charts Roadmap For Self-Reliant Nuclear Energy Ecosystem
POWER & RENEWABLE ENERGY

India Charts Roadmap For Self-Reliant Nuclear Energy Ecosystem

India is strengthening its indigenous nuclear energy ecosystem with emphasis on advanced reactor technologies, small modular reactors (SMRs), domestic manufacturing, private-sector participation and long-term utilisation of thorium. The government set out the Nuclear Energy Mission in the Union Budget 2025-26 to expand nuclear capacity to 100 GWe by 2047. The minister of state in the prime minister's office outlined the roadmap in a written reply to Lok Sabha.

The policy combines deployment of large indigenous reactors such as 700 megawatt (MW) pressurised heavy water reactors and development of SMRs at brownfield sites and captive or off-grid applications. A key objective is to develop and operationalise at least five indigenous SMRs by 2033. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is designing a 220 megawatt Bharat Small Modular Reactor, a 55 megawatt SMR and a high temperature gas cooled reactor of up to five megawatt capacity for potential hydrogen production.

The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) continues research and engineering for sodium cooled fast breeder reactors and closed fuel-cycle facilities, remaining central to the long-term programme. The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025 has been enacted to enable wider public and private participation while maintaining regulatory oversight. The Department of Atomic Energy is supporting industry through knowledge sharing and development of domestic vendors and start-ups for critical equipment.

India pursues its three-stage nuclear programme to optimise uranium resources and to harness thorium by breeding uranium-233 for later large-scale use after sufficient fast breeder capacity is established. Thoria pellets have been used in initial reactor cores and irradiated pins reprocessed to obtain uranium-233, which was fabricated as fuel for the KAMINI reactor at IGCAR, Kalpakkam. Expansion of the Isotope Production Reactor will augment domestic production of medical isotopes and support technological self-reliance.

India is strengthening its indigenous nuclear energy ecosystem with emphasis on advanced reactor technologies, small modular reactors (SMRs), domestic manufacturing, private-sector participation and long-term utilisation of thorium. The government set out the Nuclear Energy Mission in the Union Budget 2025-26 to expand nuclear capacity to 100 GWe by 2047. The minister of state in the prime minister's office outlined the roadmap in a written reply to Lok Sabha. The policy combines deployment of large indigenous reactors such as 700 megawatt (MW) pressurised heavy water reactors and development of SMRs at brownfield sites and captive or off-grid applications. A key objective is to develop and operationalise at least five indigenous SMRs by 2033. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is designing a 220 megawatt Bharat Small Modular Reactor, a 55 megawatt SMR and a high temperature gas cooled reactor of up to five megawatt capacity for potential hydrogen production. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) continues research and engineering for sodium cooled fast breeder reactors and closed fuel-cycle facilities, remaining central to the long-term programme. The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025 has been enacted to enable wider public and private participation while maintaining regulatory oversight. The Department of Atomic Energy is supporting industry through knowledge sharing and development of domestic vendors and start-ups for critical equipment. India pursues its three-stage nuclear programme to optimise uranium resources and to harness thorium by breeding uranium-233 for later large-scale use after sufficient fast breeder capacity is established. Thoria pellets have been used in initial reactor cores and irradiated pins reprocessed to obtain uranium-233, which was fabricated as fuel for the KAMINI reactor at IGCAR, Kalpakkam. Expansion of the Isotope Production Reactor will augment domestic production of medical isotopes and support technological self-reliance.

Related Stories

Gold Stories

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train’s Surat-Vapi Section Set for 2027

The first section of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train corridor, linking Surat and Vapi, is targeted to begin services in 2027. Construction is expected to be completed by December 2026, while Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has indicated that an inauguration could take place around the middle of 2027. The National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) said the train being manufactured in India is expected to reach the tracks around April or May 2027. The train will undergo extensive testing before the section is opened for passenger services. The project began construction in 2021 and includ..

Next Story
Infrastructure Transport

Indian Railways Approves Four Projects Worth Rs. 7.36 bn Across Four States

Indian Railways has approved four projects with a combined value of Rs. 7.36 bn across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. The programme covers train protection, signalling, electric traction supply and a road overbridge, with each project assigned to a different railway zone. In Uttar Pradesh, Rs. 2.52 bn has been approved to extend the Kavach 4.0 automatic train protection system across 607.7 km in the Lucknow Division of North Eastern Railway. The system monitors train movements and can apply the brakes if a driver fails to observe a signal or exceeds a safe speed. The w..

Next Story
Infrastructure Urban

Chandru Raheja Sells 1.49% Stake in Mindspace REIT for Rs. 5 bn

Billionaire Chandru Lachmandas Raheja has sold a 1.49 per cent holding in Mindspace Business Parks REIT for Rs. 5 bn through a bulk deal on the BSE. The transaction involved 9.9 mn units and was executed at an average price of Rs. 505 per unit, according to exchange data. Following the sale, units of Mindspace Business Parks REIT were trading 0.18 per cent lower at Rs. 504.05 on Tuesday. Exchange data did not identify the buyers involved in the transaction. Raheja is the chairman of real estate company K Raheja Corp. The sale involved 99,00,990 units, representing 1.49 per cent of the Mumbai-b..

Advertisement

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Get daily newsletters around different themes from Construction world.

STAY CONNECTED

Advertisement

SPECIAL OFFER
QR Code