India’s Civil Nuclear Power Sector

Syllabus: GS3/Energy Sector

Context

India is looking to bring five additional nuclear reactors online in this decade and to increase its nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047.

Status of Nuclear Power in India 

• Installed Capacity: India has 25 active nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 8.7 gigawatt-electric (GWe). Nuclear power reactors in the country generated 56,681 million units of energy in 2024-25.
• Consistent Contribution: Nuclear power has always contributed about 3% of India’s overall electricity production. 
• Planned Expansion: Nuclear capacity of India to increase around 3x in next few years.
  • Through international cooperation, indigenous 700 Megawatt (MW) reactors and 1,000 MW reactors are under development, and the installed capacity is expected to touch 22.38 GW by 2031-32.
• International Cooperation: India has signed Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGAs) on Civil Nuclear Cooperation for peaceful purposes with 18 countries, indicating the rising worldwide confidence in India’s nuclear program.
• Reactors Under Construction: 10 reactors with around 8 GWe of capacity are under construction. Another 10 units with some 6.6 GWe of capacity are in the pre-project stage.

India’s Three-stage nuclear programme

• Establishment: India’s nuclear journey began shortly after Independence with the establishment of the Atomic Energy Commission in 1948. 
  • In 1956, Asia’s first research reactor, Apsara, was commissioned at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Trombay.
  • India was the second Asian nation to build a nuclear power plant in 1969 at Tarapur, just after Japan. 
• India has a three-phase programme of nuclear power visioned by Dr Homi J Bhabha, the father of India’s nuclear programme.
• First Stage (Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors – PHWRs) :The first stage of the Indian nuclear program was the building of a fleet of PHWRs.
  • The fissile material for these reactors is natural uranium (U-238) with small amounts of U-235.
  • Deuterium oxide (heavy water) as moderator and coolant. 
  • The primary goal in this stage was to generate plutonium-239 as a by-product of uranium fuel. 
  • Plutonium-239 is a fissile material used as fuel in nuclear reactors.
• Second Stage (Fast Breeder Reactors – FBRs) : The second stage of the program is the use of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs).
  • FBRs are designed to work in a fast neutron spectrum and produce more fissile material than they consume. 
  • In this step the plutonium-239 from the first stage and U-238 are used as fuel to make energy and more Pu-239 and U-233. 
  • Uranium-233 is another fissile material that can be used as fuel in nuclear reactors.
• Third Stage Advanced Heavy Water Reactors (AHWRs): The program is expected to end with the deployment of Advanced Heavy Water Reactors (AHWRs).
  • The reactors will use thorium-232 (Th-232) as fuel, which will be used to produce U-233 and electricity. Pu-239 will be used. 
  • India has lots of thorium. The goal of this stage is to tap the potential of thorium as nuclear fuel. 

Challenges 

• Challenges limited domestic experience: India’s nuclear program has been primarily based on Pressurised heavy-water reactor (PHWRs) and fast breeder reactors, limiting our domestic experience in Light Water Reactor (LWR) design and operation.

• Limited domestic uranium : India has its own stocks of low-grade uranium. It also imports uranium.
  • The long-term growth of nuclear power depends on arrangements for fuel supplies with other countries.
• High capital cost: Nuclear power facilities demand huge capital and long construction period.
• Technology Challenges::  India is developing breakthrough technologies such as SMRs at an early stage.
• Public safety and concerns. Local opposition and delays in project completion are possible due to nuclear accidents.
• Thorium gap: Though India has large thorium reserves, commercial technology is still under development.

Government Initiatives

• Nuclear Energy Mission & Capacity Targets: The Government has launched a Nuclear Energy Mission aimed at expanding nuclear power capacity to about 100 GW by 2047.
  • This mission emphasises enhancing domestic capabilities and adopting advanced technologies.
• Indigenous Reactor Development: Such as Bharat Small Reactors are under development to support scalable deployment.
  • While these are PHWR and SMR variants, they lay the groundwork for a broader nuclear innovation ecosystem.
• Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme: India has a long-term strategy to utilise India’s thorium reserves through PHWRs, Fast Breeder Reactors and thorium-based reactors.
• SHANTI Act, 2025: It enables capacity expansion, advanced reactor technologies and wider participation in nuclear power generation.
• Research & Development Funding: The Union Budget 2025-26 allocated significant funding (around ₹20,000 crores) for R&D in advanced nuclear technologies.
• International Cooperation & Tech Access: The government is working on international partnerships and technology transfer mechanisms that can help bridge experience gaps in technologies.

Way Ahead

• India is pursuing an indigenous small reactor programme, with three types of SMR, developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for demonstration.
  • These are the 200 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200), a 55 MWe small modular reactor (SMR), and a 5 MWt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor for hydrogen production.
  • The government has set a target of having at least five indigenously designed and operational SMRs by 2033.
• Repurpose Old Thermal Power Sites: The government is conducting studies to repurpose old thermal power plant sites for nuclear sites.
  • Such repurposed sites may ultimately be more suitable for SMRs and smaller-capacity nuclear projects rather than large conventional reactors.
• The indigenously designed and built Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu successfully attained its first criticality in April 2026, marking the initiation of a sustained nuclear chain reaction.
  • With this achievement, India entered the second stage of its three-stage nuclear power programme. 
  • Once fully operational, India will become only the second country in the world after Russia to operate a commercial fast breeder reactor.

Source: IE