Govt panel urges faster nuclear approvals, fuel security to meet 100GW goal

India should cut nuclear project timelines, secure long-term fuel uranium supplies and expand its reprocessing capacity, a government-appointed panel said in its report, which was reviewed by Reuters.

India is relaxing rules to end a decades-old state monopoly and a stringent liability provision to free up private participation and attract foreign suppliers of technology in the nuclear power sector. The country targets 100 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2047 against the current 8.88 GW.

The panel, formed by the Ministry of Power, said the average time from site approval to nuclear reactor commissioning -currently 11 to 12 years - must be reduced through faster land acquisition and regulatory clearances.

It has recommended using existing sites and retiring thermal plant locations for new nuclear projects.

India should boost domestic uranium mining, acquire mines abroad, open up uranium sourcing and fuel fabrication to private companies and stockpile fuel for reactor lifespans of up to 60 years, the panel said.

It also backed reprocessing of spent fuel, with the process being handled by a government entity.

While India plans to continue using its homegrown nuclear reactor design for most new plants, the committee has recommended that the country also start using newer, more advanced reactors from abroad.

The committee has suggested the government rework the nuclear insurance pool to ensure 15 billion rupees ($169 million) coverage per incident per operator, rather than the current caps on total annual liability across all installations.