India Targets 100 GWe Nuclear Capacity By 2047, Five Indigenous SMRs By 2033: Jitendra Singh

India is stepping up efforts to build a self-reliant and globally competitive nuclear energy ecosystem, with a focus on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), thorium utilisation, indigenous reactor technologies, domestic manufacturing and greater private-sector participation, Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Singh said the country’s long-term nuclear strategy remains anchored in the three-stage nuclear power programme, designed to progressively harness India’s abundant thorium resources and strengthen long-term energy security.

The strategy received further impetus from the Nuclear Energy Mission announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, which has set an objective of expanding India’s nuclear power capacity to 100 GWe by 2047.

Focus on large reactors and SMRs

Singh said the government has adopted a two-pronged approach to increasing nuclear capacity.

The first involves deploying large indigenous reactors, including 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and advanced reactor designs at greenfield sites. The second focuses on developing and deploying SMRs at brownfield locations, including sites of retiring fossil-fuel-based power plants.

SMRs are also being considered for captive power generation for energy-intensive industries and off-grid applications in remote areas.

Under the Nuclear Energy Mission, the government aims to develop and operationalise at least five indigenous SMRs by 2033.

The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is developing indigenous SMR technologies, including the 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200) and 55 MWe SMR-55 for electricity generation.

BARC is also developing a High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGCR) of up to 5 MWth capacity, which could be coupled with a thermochemical cycle for hydrogen production.

Advancing India’s three-stage nuclear programme

Singh said the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) is continuing research and advanced engineering development for the second stage of India’s nuclear programme.

IGCAR is working on Sodium Cooled Fast Breeder Reactors and associated closed fuel-cycle facilities, which are central to India’s long-term strategy for expanding nuclear fuel resources.

The three-stage programme is designed to progressively maximise the use of India’s uranium and thorium resources.

In the first stage, natural uranium is used in PHWRs, with spent fuel subsequently reprocessed to recover plutonium. The second stage involves Fast Breeder Reactors using plutonium to produce additional fissile material. The third stage envisages large-scale utilisation of thorium through uranium-233 generated from thorium.

Singh noted that thorium is a fertile material and must first be converted into fissile uranium-233 inside a nuclear reactor before it can be used for energy generation.

Private sector participation gets policy push

The government is also seeking to expand the domestic nuclear industry through the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, 2025.

The legislation enables wider participation of public and private entities in areas including nuclear manufacturing, engineering services, research and development and supply chains, while retaining stringent requirements relating to nuclear safety, security and safeguards.

The Act also provides statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, strengthening the regulatory framework for the sector.

The Department of Atomic Energy is supporting Indian industry through knowledge-sharing and handholding for emerging SMR technologies, while efforts are underway to develop domestic nuclear vendors and expand private-sector research and development.

Several critical components, including low-alloy steel forgings for reactor pressure vessels and reactivity control drive mechanisms, have already been developed through domestic industry. Work on additional critical equipment is also being taken forward in collaboration with domestic companies and start-ups.

India continues research on thorium

The government is pursuing sustained research into thorium-based nuclear technologies as part of the country’s three-stage programme.

Thorium oxide, or thoria, pellets have been used in the initial cores of operating PHWRs, while thoria-based fuels have also been irradiated in BARC research reactors.

The irradiated thoria fuel has been reprocessed to obtain uranium-233, which was subsequently fabricated into fuel for the KAMINI reactor at IGCAR, Kalpakkam.

Building a broader nuclear ecosystem

Singh said the government’s nuclear energy strategy combines indigenous technology development with expansion of nuclear capacity, domestic manufacturing, advanced reactor research and development of the nuclear fuel cycle.

The government is also strengthening capacity in reactor design, manufacturing and construction, while expanding indigenous nuclear medicine infrastructure through the Isotope Production Reactor (IPR) to increase domestic production of medical isotopes.

The combined measures are aimed at strengthening India’s energy security, reducing dependence on external technologies and supply chains, and establishing the country as a globally competitive and technologically self-reliant nuclear energy power.