India has an ambitious nuclear energy capacity target of 100 GW by 2047. With only 8 GW of capacity currently operational, the goal indicates addition of around 4 GW of nuclear capacity each year from 2025-2047.
India has an ambitious nuclear energy capacity target of 100 GW by 2047. With only 8 GW of capacity currently operational, the goal indicates addition of around 4 GW of nuclear capacity each year from 2025-2047.
Despite a strong government push and proposed reforms to encourage private participation, challenges remain, and certain aspects need to be looked at closely.
Current And Planned Capacity
India's current operational nuclear energy capacity stands at 8 GW, a 92 GW shortfall from the 2047 target. When one looks at the pipeline, 8 GW is under construction, 5.6 GW has been announced but not started construction yet, and capacities totaling 31.9 GW have been planned and waiting to acquire land.
The capacity addition is expected to become operational in phases, with the next addition coming online only by FY27 and reaching 21.8 GW by FY34, if all estimated completion dates are met.
Capacity Plans Needed
As per NDTV Profit calculations, India needs to double its nuclear capacity every three and a half years to hit its 2047 target. The country also needs to still plan for a total capacity of 46.3 GW. This means announcement of nuclear plants totaling 2 GW every year.
Boost For Sector
Higher Private Participation: The government plans to enhance private participation in nuclear energy by amending the Atomic Energy Act and Civil Liability Act, and developing Bharat Small Reactors in partnership with the private sector.
Government Support: The Union Budget 2025 saw the finance minister announce a Rs 20,000 crore mission for the R&D of small modular reactors
Development of New Reactors: The Department of Atomic Energy plans to introduce new nuclear reactors, including high-temperature gas-cooled reactors for hydrogen co-generation.
Existing Challenges
Land issues, limited resources, and funding challenges hinder nuclear projects in India. Land issues cause time overruns due to problems with acquiring land on the back of local protests. While, the country's nuclear liability law discourages international suppliers due to certain clauses. This is why planned nuclear projects totaling 17 GW are currently stalled.
Furthermore, limited resources with respect to uranium as well as high construction risks make banks less willing to fund early development stages of nuclear projects. This is why a specialised intuition backed by the government is needed.
Lastly, despite the boost for funding indigenous small modular reactor development in the recent Budget, Bernstein states a low likelihood of even one indigenous SMR being operational by 2033, against the five that the government has planned. Even China, considered a leader in the space, took 15 years to commission one, it noted.
Bottom Line: What Can Help India?
Elara Securities and Bernstein experts suggest brownfield expansion of large scale capacity at existing sites for faster commissioning timelines and limited issues with land acquisitions and disturbances.
Bernstein suggests India should use proven technologies and partner with foreign ones for expansion. While, Motilal Oswal Financial Services Ltd. states that India needs to narrow its technology choices and improve advancements in the SMR space. SMRs require less land and lower upfront costs, leading to a smaller overall capital outlay, it pointed out.
The country also needs to address and streamline the regulatory issues. A robust nuclear liability frameworks is crucial, according to Motilal Oswal.
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