{"id":82292,"date":"2026-08-22T17:33:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T12:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=82292"},"modified":"2026-08-22T17:39:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-22T12:09:12","slug":"india-civil-nuclear-power-sector-hindi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/22-08-2026\/india-civil-nuclear-power-sector-hindi","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Civil Nuclear Power Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Energy Sector<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>India is looking to bring five additional nuclear reactors online in this decade and to increase its nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Status of Nuclear Power in India&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Installed Capacity: <\/strong>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.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Consistent Contribution:<\/strong> Nuclear power has always contributed about 3% of India\u2019s overall electricity production.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Planned Expansion<\/strong>: Nuclear capacity of India to increase around 3x in next few years.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Cooperation:<\/strong> India has signed Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGAs) on Civil Nuclear Cooperation for peaceful purposes with 18 countries, indicating the rising worldwide confidence in India\u2019s nuclear program.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reactors Under Construction: <\/strong>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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>India\u2019s Three-stage nuclear programme<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Establishment: <\/strong>India\u2019s nuclear journey began shortly after Independence with the establishment of the <strong>Atomic Energy Commission in 1948.\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In 1956, <\/strong>Asia\u2019s first research reactor, <strong>Apsara<\/strong>, was commissioned at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Trombay.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India was the second Asian nation<\/strong> to build a nuclear power plant in <strong>1969 <\/strong>at Tarapur, just after Japan.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India has a three-phase programme of nuclear power visioned by <strong>Dr Homi J Bhabha,<\/strong> the father of India\u2019s nuclear programme.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>First Stage (Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors &#8211; PHWRs) :<\/strong>The first stage of the Indian nuclear program was the building of a fleet of PHWRs.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The fissile material for these reactors is natural uranium (U-238) with small amounts of U-235.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Deuterium oxide (heavy water) as moderator and coolant.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The primary goal in this stage was to generate plutonium-239 as a by-product of uranium fuel.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Plutonium-239 is a fissile material used as fuel in nuclear reactors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Second Stage (Fast Breeder Reactors \u2013 FBRs) : <\/strong>The second stage of the program is the use of Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>FBRs are designed to work in a fast neutron spectrum and produce more fissile material than they consume.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uranium-233 is another fissile material that can be used as fuel in nuclear reactors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Third Stage Advanced Heavy Water Reactors (AHWRs<\/strong>): The program is expected to end with the deployment of Advanced Heavy Water Reactors (AHWRs).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>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.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>India has lots of thorium. The goal of this stage is to tap the potential of thorium as nuclear fuel.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>C<strong>hallenges limited domestic experience: I<\/strong>ndia\u2019s 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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#fff2cc\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Light Water Reactors<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Light Water Reactors<\/strong> form a mainstay of the <strong>global nuclear program<\/strong> currently account for over <strong>85% of the civil nuclear reactor capacity in the world.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>They use <strong>ordinary (light) water as both a coolant and a neutron moderator<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>LWRs<\/strong> entail <strong>simpler design and engineering<\/strong> compared to heavy water reactors given that they use normal water as<strong> both coolant and moderator<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Low Cost:<\/strong> It usually involves lower construction costs due to economies of scale and they are considered <strong>more thermally efficient.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Limited domestic uranium : <\/strong>India has its own stocks of low-grade uranium. It also imports uranium.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The long-term growth of nuclear power depends on arrangements for fuel supplies with other countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>High capital cost:<\/strong> Nuclear power facilities demand huge capital and long construction period.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Technology Challenges:: <\/strong>\u00a0India is developing breakthrough technologies such as SMRs at an early stage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Public safety and concerns<\/strong>. Local opposition and delays in project completion are possible due to nuclear accidents.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Thorium gap:<\/strong> Though India has large thorium reserves, commercial technology is still under development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Nuclear Energy Mission &amp; Capacity Targets: <\/strong>The Government has launched a Nuclear Energy Mission aimed at expanding nuclear power capacity to about 100 GW by 2047.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>This mission emphasises enhancing domestic capabilities and adopting advanced technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indigenous Reactor Development: <\/strong>Such as Bharat Small Reactors are under development to support scalable deployment.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While these are PHWR and SMR variants, they lay the groundwork for a broader nuclear innovation ecosystem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme:<\/strong> India has a long-term strategy to utilise India\u2019s thorium reserves through PHWRs, Fast Breeder Reactors and thorium-based reactors.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SHANTI Act, 2025: <\/strong>It enables capacity expansion, advanced reactor technologies and wider participation in nuclear power generation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Research &amp; Development Funding: <\/strong>The Union Budget 2025-26 allocated significant funding (around \u20b920,000 crores) for R&amp;D in advanced nuclear technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Cooperation &amp; Tech Access: <\/strong>The government is working on international partnerships and technology transfer mechanisms that can help bridge experience gaps in technologies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India is pursuing an<strong> indigenous small reactor programme,<\/strong> with three types of SMR, developed by the <strong>Bhabha Atomic Research Centre for demonstration.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These are the <strong>200 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor<\/strong> (BSMR-200), a <strong>55 MWe small modular reactor (SMR)<\/strong>, and a<strong> 5 MWt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor<\/strong> for hydrogen production.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The government has set a target of having<strong> at least five indigenously designed and operational SMRs by 2033.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Repurpose Old Thermal Power Sites: <\/strong>The government is conducting studies to repurpose old thermal power plant sites for nuclear sites.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Such repurposed sites may <strong>ultimately be more suitable for SMRs and smaller-capacity nuclear projects <\/strong>rather than large conventional reactors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>indigenously designed and built Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) <\/strong>at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu successfully attained <strong>its first criticality<\/strong> in April 2026, marking the<strong> initiation of a sustained nuclear chain reaction.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>With this achievement, India entered the <strong>second stage of its three-stage nuclear power programme<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Once fully operational, <strong>India will become only the second country<\/strong> in the world after Russia to operate a commercial fast breeder reactor.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: IE<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong><br \/>\nContext<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\n<p>India is looking to bring five additional nuclear reactors online in this decade and to increase its nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nStatus of Nuclear Power in India\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"\t>\nInstalled 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.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">\n<p>Consistent Contribution: Nuclear power has always contributed about 3% of India\u2019s overall electricity production.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/21-08-2026\/india-civil-nuclear-power-sector-hindi \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82292","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82292","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=82292"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82292\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82294,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/82292\/revisions\/82294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=82292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=82292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=82292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}