Nuclear Horizon: India Scales Up with 10 New Reactors

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) is set to seek approvals for 10 additional 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) to be built in fleet mode, as part of its strategy to significantly expand India’s nuclear energy capacity.

This initiative supports NPCIL’s role in meeting the national goal of achieving up to 54 GW of nuclear power by 2047, contributing to India’s broader energy transition. Fleet mode construction—developing multiple reactors of the same design in parallel—offers cost savings and faster execution timelines. The new reactors are expected to be built across both greenfield and brownfield sites, complementing ongoing fleet-mode projects in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh.

India currently has an installed nuclear capacity of 8.8 GW from 25 reactors, all operated by NPCIL. The company aims to raise this to 22 GW by 2031–32, with further growth projected through the deployment of Bharat Small Reactors (BSRs) by 2035.

In parallel, the government is exploring amendments to the Atomic Energy Act to enable private sector participation in the nuclear industry.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.