Nuclear Power

India's private sector is expected to invest around Rs 7.5 lakh crore and contribute 30 GW to the country's ambitious target of achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty said. The country currently has about 9 GW of installed nuclear power capacity and plans to expand it substantially by 2047, he said. "Public sector undertaking Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) currently operates 24 reactors. We think private players should also enter the nuclear business and that is why new legislation was enacted," Mohanty, who is also the secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy, told PTI in an exclusive interview. "Five years from now, I expect a couple of private sector players to run reactors. We think that about 30 GW should come from them by 2047. It costs around Rs 25 crore to generate 1 MW," he added. Mohanty, who was in Ranchi to attend the 36th convocation of Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, said India

The agreements cover 3,590 MW of power, including 890 MW from upgraded nuclear plants, as Constellation plans more than $4.3 billion in new investments

French energy major EDF discussed EPR reactor deployment and building a local supply chain as India moves ahead with regulatory reforms in the nuclear power sector

"We say clearly: No to nuclear weapons, and no to deprivation of nuclear knowledge," Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said.

Odisha has approved feasibility studies by NTPC and Adani Power at several potential nuclear plant sites, including Deogarh, Balimela and Manjore; no plant has yet been sanctioned

The 700 MWe indigenous pressurised heavy water reactor will next approach criticality and begin power generation before entering commercial operation in FY27 at Rawatbhata

NTPC seeks key changes in draft SHANTI rules, including faster licensing, removal of new-company limits and utility-agnostic approvals

Former Atomic Energy Commission chairman says India should use thorium in PHWRs and develop recycling technologies as pressure on global uranium supplies increases

The order, received from Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL), is the company's first in the nuclear power sector

Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), which has been associated with the country's nuclear programme for over five decades, feels it is time for the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to focus on strategic objectives and work more with the private sector on the energy front, according to a top company official. The city-headquartered DAE should take some inspiration from its state-run space counterpart Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which has helped accelerate the pace of growth for the private sector, TCE's managing director and chief executive Amit Sharma said. "DAE was formed for national strategic objectives, not to produce electricity... It should retain that core identity and let the private sector completely work on nuclear (energy)," Sharma told PTI. Facilities like labs at Mumbai's Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) should be made available to the private sector for testing their concepts, Sharma said, adding that other countries, including China, the US and South .

The power major is also targeting 149 GW of capacity by 2032 and plans around ₹16.86 trillion of capital expenditure by FY37 across generation and storage businesses

Industry seeks market-aligned tariffs, long-term financing and a level playing field, while discoms call for predictability and a two-part tariff structure

Nuclear power developers seek shorter regulatory approval timelines, standardised designs and greater technology indigenisation to reduce costs and speed up projects

The draft rules under the SHANTI Act set out financial, licensing, security and waste-management requirements as India opens parts of its nuclear sector to private companies

The draft rules say financial security for nuclear power plants must remain in place until all spent fuel has been removed from the concerned storage pool

Draft rules allow private companies to seek in-principle approval for vendor tie-ups, land, and preliminary work, while nuclear projects will face stage-wise regulatory scrutiny

India recorded investment announcements worth Rs 26.75 trillion between April 1 and August 5, led overwhelmingly by data centres, AI and proposed nuclear power projects

The Centre told Parliament it allocated Rs 81,287 crore to NPCIL over the past five years while advancing nuclear projects and pursuing a 100 GW capacity target by 2047

Centre says indigenous small modular reactors will take 5-6 years to build after financial approval, with BARC developing three designs under the Nuclear Energy Mission