Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today announced the creation of a new 'Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat' and pushed for amending laws that are limiting this growth.
In her budget speech. Ms Sitharaman said that the development of at least 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047 is "essential for our energy transition efforts".
"For an active partnership with the private sector towards this goal, amendments to the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act will be taken up," she said.
India has end-to-end capabilities in nuclear technology from uranium mining to making atomic power plants to reprocessing nuclear fuel. However, the country does not have enough uranium resources.
Atomic energy is considered the only sustainable almost zero carbon emission source for supplying base load power, which is why many countries are embracing nuclear energy to mitigate the effects of climate change even as they generate more electricity.
Ms Sitharaman also said that a 'Nuclear Energy Mission for research & development of Small Modular Reactors (SMR)' with an outlay of Rs 20,000 crore will be set up.
At least five indigenously developed SMRs will be operationalized by 2033, she said while presenting her record eighth consecutive budget.
Speaking to NDTV, Dr AK Mohanty, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, said that 100 GW by 2047 is "very achievable" as India now has the technical capability.
"But getting land and appropriate atomic fuel could be a limiting factor," he said.
"The private sector can help augment capacity by building captive atomic plants especially small modular reactors," he added.
India has so far installed a capacity of 8,180 Megawatts of nuclear power, according to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, and presently, the country has 24 operating reactors. Among these 20 reactors are Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and four are Light Water Reactors (LWRs).
Welcoming Ms Sitharaman's move, Dr Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, said that "for the first time, there is a clear realisation that to achieve the target of Net Zero, nuclear energy is an inevitable need".
"Amending the atomic energy acts has to be done keeping in mind a long-term horizon and knee-jerk changes should be avoided since 'nuclear security' is involved," he said.
Mr Kakodkar said if the target of 100 GW by 2047 has to be met, then we need to add at least 4-5 thousand MW of installed nuclear capacity every year for the next 22 years, adding "realistically do we have the capacity to implement this massive augmentation?"
On the proposal of making five SMRs by 2033, Mr Kakodkar said that at least one functional.
"Ideally, NTPC should take the lead in setting up SMRs at locations where coal plants are being retired," he said.
Last year, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh had projected that India's installed Nuclear Power Capacity will triple by 2031-32.
"The present installed nuclear power capacity is set to increase from 8180 MW to 22480 MW by 2031-32," he told the Parliament in December 2024.
Highlighting India's energy transition to Net Zero by 2070, Dr Singh said, "Various studies have projected the need to have a national nuclear capacity of the order of 1 lakh MW by 2047, recommendations of those studies are being viewed for possible future adoption."
Answering questions on the capacity augmentation of nuclear energy, Mr Singh, the Union Minister of State for the Department of Atomic Energy, emphasized that there has been more than a 70 percent surge in India's nuclear power capacity in the last 10 years, increasing from 4,780 MW in 2013-14 to 8,180 MW at present.
At present, 21 reactors with a total capacity of 15,300 MW are at various stages of implementation by Nuclear Power Corporation India Limited (NPCIL).
Nine reactors with a total capacity of 7,300 MW [including Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidhyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI)] are under construction and twelve reactors with a capacity of 8,000 MW [including 2 X 500 MW twin unit of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR) by BHAVINI] are under pre-project activities.
With climate change as a looming danger, atomic energy, which offers electricity with almost zero carbon dioxide emission, is increasingly being viewed as a viable alternative even though the capital cost of installing it remains high.
