India’s private sector is expected to invest around ₹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,” Mr. 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 ₹25 crore to generate 1 MW,” he added.
Mr. Mohanty, who was in Ranchi to attend the 36th convocation of Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, said India was looking to accelerate nuclear power expansion beyond its traditional public-sector-led model, which would require substantial investment and technological development.
He said the enactment of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act in December 2025 marked a major policy shift by opening the nuclear sector to broader participation by public and private entities while retaining sovereign control over sensitive activities.
Nuclear power projects typically take five to seven years to build, depending on the technology, regulatory approvals and construction requirements, he said.
Private companies are assessing reactor technologies, fuel supply arrangements, land requirements and potential partnerships, including joint ventures with NPCIL and foreign technology providers, Mr. Mohanty said.
NPCIL, a government enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy, currently operates 24 nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of about 9 GW. Another 17 reactors, with a total capacity of around 13 GW, are at various stages of implementation.
Nuclear power is a capital-intensive industry, with a significant share of expenditure incurred during the initial stages of construction. The cost of electricity from new nuclear projects will be a key consideration for investors and power purchasers, he said.
“Alongside large nuclear power plants, India is exploring small modular reactors (SMRs) to cater to specialised electricity requirements, particularly in energy-intensive industries,” he said.
Industries, such as steel and cement, require substantial and reliable power supplies. SMRs could potentially meet captive power requirements at individual facilities or groups of industrial units, depending on reactor design, regulatory provisions and the commercial model adopted, he said.
The development of smaller reactors could broaden the range of nuclear power applications and provide industries with another option for securing dependable, low-carbon electricity, the AEC chief said.
Beyond capacity expansion, India is pursuing its three-stage nuclear power programme to make greater use of domestic nuclear resources, particularly thorium.
The first stage uses uranium-fuelled reactors. During operation, these reactors generate electricity and can also produce plutonium-239, which can be recovered through the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, Mr. Mohanty said.
The recovered plutonium is intended for use in the second stage, based on fast breeder reactor technology. This stage is designed to support the production of additional fissile material and facilitate the eventual utilisation of thorium, he said.
“In the third stage, thorium is expected to be converted into a fissile material that can be used as nuclear fuel. Thorium cannot be used directly as a conventional reactor fuel without first being converted into a suitable fissile material. India’s three-stage programme is designed to address this technological challenge and eventually support a nuclear fuel cycle that makes greater use of the country’s domestic resources,” Mr. Mohanty said.
India has substantial thorium resources associated with monazite-bearing beach sands.
“Coastal states, including Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, have deposits of beach-sand minerals from which monazite can be extracted and thorium recovered through appropriate processing. India houses 25% of the global thorium reserve,” he emphasised.
The indigenously designed and built Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu successfully attained its first criticality in April 2026, marking the initiation of a sustained nuclear chain reaction.
With this achievement, India has officially entered the second part of its three-stage nuclear power programme. The milestone carries substantial global significance. Once fully operational, India will become only the second country in the world after Russia to operate a commercial fast breeder reactor.
India’s commercial nuclear power programme dates back to 1969, and over the years the country has developed domestic expertise in reactor engineering, construction, operation and maintenance.
At the same time, Russia, France and the United States have developed their own nuclear technologies, creating opportunities for international collaboration, subject to Indian regulatory requirements and project-specific arrangements, he added.
The Kudankulam nuclear power project, which uses Russian reactor technology, is an example of such cooperation.
“Further partnerships could help India access additional reactor designs and engineering capabilities as it expands its nuclear fleet,” Mohanty added.
India has signed Inter-Governmental Agreements (IGAs) on Civil Nuclear Cooperation for peaceful purposes with 18 countries, reflecting the growing global confidence in its nuclear programme.
Published – October 11, 2026 06:10 pm IST
