PM to Lay Foundation for 2.8 GW Mahi-Banswara Nuclear Plant

25 Sep 2025 CW Team

New Delhi: The Union government is set to commence construction of a 2,800 MWe nuclear power plant at Mahi-Banswara in Rajasthan, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi scheduled to lay the foundation stone on 25 September. The plant will feature four pressurised heavy water reactors, each with 700 MWe capacity, with the first unit expected to be operational within six and a half years.

The project will be executed by a joint venture comprising the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (51 per cent) and National Thermal Power Corporation (49 per cent). This marks NTPC’s first venture into nuclear power generation under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962. Sources estimate the project cost at over Rs 400 billion.

The Mahi-Banswara site is located on the right bank of the Mahi River, upstream of the Mahi-Bajaj Sagar reservoir, and received Atomic Energy Regulatory Board approval in May, enabling the formal foundation-laying ceremony.

India is targeting 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047. In addition to Mahi-Banswara, a second 2,800 MWe nuclear plant is planned in Haryana, with another under consideration in Madhya Pradesh. The Gorakhpur plant in Fatehabad district, Haryana, received AERB clearance in 2015, though construction was delayed. Under the revised schedule, the first of the four units at Mahi-Banswara is slated for commercial operation by March 2031, with the second unit following six months later.

This will be Rajasthan’s second atomic power station, following Rawatbhata, where seven reactors are operational and an eighth 700 MWe unit is nearing completion. Currently, NPCIL operates 24 reactors with a total installed capacity of 8.18 GW, and seven more reactors totalling 6.1 GW are under construction.

Infrastructure Urban

25 Sep 2025

PNC Infratech Bags Rs 4.96 Billion Bihar Bridge Project

PNC Infratech Ltd on Friday announced it has received a letter of acceptance (LoA) worth Rs 4.96 billion from the Bihar State Road Development Corporation (BSRDC).The contract involves constructing a high-level bridge and approach road along the Hathouri–Atrar–Bavangama–Aurai Road, covering a total distance of 21.3 km. Awarded under the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) model, the project is scheduled for completion within 1,095 days, or three years.The company confirmed that neither its promoters nor group entities hold any financial or business interest in the awarding a..

India Secures Second Deep-Sea PMS Exploration Contract

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announced the signing of a 15-year contract between the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) and the International Seabed Authority (ISA) granting India exclusive rights to explore Polymetallic Sulphides (PMS) across a 10,000 sq km area of the Carlsberg Ridge in the Indian Ocean, according to an MoES release.With this agreement, India becomes the first country globally to hold two PMS exploration contracts with ISA, reinforcing its pioneering role in deep-sea resource exploration and strategic presence in the Indian Ocean.Dr Singh said the contract represents a ma..

Odisha Unveils Policy to Attract Investment in Pumped Storage

The Odisha government, after identifying 45 potential sites for Pumped Storage Projects (PSPs) earlier this year, has introduced a policy framework to monitor and regulate PSPs in the state. The policy is designed to attract investment from public and private developers and aligns with the PSP Policy 2025 and the Renewable Energy Policy 2022.The Energy Department’s latest Operational Guidelines to Odisha PSP Policy identify potential locations for off-the-river closed-loop PSPs. With many sites still unregistered or unsurveyed by state and central agencies, and with the growing importance of..