Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam Ltd, the joint venture of state-owned NTPC and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, has invited bids for the construction of the nuclear island for the proposed Mahi Banswara Nuclear Power Plant in Rajasthan. The Engineering, Procurement and Construction contract is valued at over Rs 280 billion (bn) and was floated as the Nuclear Island Mega EPC Package. The package encompasses the reactor building, nuclear structures, heavy water upgrading plant, water systems and waste management facilities. The tender document states that the selected contractor will handle engineering, design, supply, civil construction, installation, testing, commissioning and the operation and maintenance of the package. The nuclear island is the core of a nuclear power plant where the reactor and other critical systems are located. The project will feature four Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) of 700 MW each, taking total capacity to two point eight gigawatt (GW). Officials said the plant will be the first in India not to be wholly owned by NPCIL, altering the ownership landscape of the sector where, until now, eight point eight GW of installed nuclear capacity has been under NPCIL control. The EPC package is described as the largest Nuclear Island contract floated under India's indigenous PHWR programme and covers all major works required for the four reactors. The Centre intends to expand nuclear generation to bolster energy security and reduce carbon emissions, setting a target of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047. In 2024-25 nuclear plants generated 56,681 million units of electricity, accounting for three point one per cent of the country's total power generation. Industry analysts and policymakers will monitor the tender process for indications on timelines and domestic supply chain participation as the project advances. The selected contractor will therefore assume a central role in executing a package that is critical to the government's wider energy transition objectives.