Redeeming India’s Nuclear Power Promise

Theme: Need for reforms, international collaboration, and private participation to meet India’s ambitious nuclear power targets.

 1. Budget Push & Strategic Target

• Union Budget 2023–24 introduced a strategic target:
  India aims to achieve 600 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047.
  
  
• This is a 15-fold increase from current capacity (~7.5 GW).
  
  
• The aim aligns with:
  
  
  • Clean energy transition
    
    
  • Decarbonisation
    
    
  • Energy security
    
    

 2. India’s Nuclear Energy Landscape

• India is Asia’s third-largest producer of nuclear energy (after China and South Korea).
  
  
• Current capacity (as of 2024): ~7.5 GW from 22 operational reactors.
  
  
• Additional 8 reactors under construction, including large projects at Kudankulam, Jaitapur, and Gorakhpur.
  
  

 3. Challenges Faced

• Land acquisition, liability concerns, and nuclear fuel supply limitations.
  
  
• Delayed clearances, regulatory bottlenecks, and safety fears.
  
  
• Restrictive laws: India’s nuclear programme is fully state-controlled — private and foreign players are barred from participation.
  
  
• Nuclear Liability Law (2010) still causes hesitation among foreign partners.
  
  

 4. Geopolitics & Global Partnerships

• India signed civil nuclear agreements post-2008 NSG waiver (e.g., with US, Russia, France).
  
  
• However, actual projects under these deals have been slow.
  
  
• Example: US-Japan backed GE-Hitachi and Westinghouse projects yet to materialize.
  
  
• India seeks support from France (EDF), Russia (Rosatom), and US (Westinghouse) to expand its nuclear footprint.
  
  

5. Urgent Need for Reforms

• To meet the 2047 target:
  
  
  • Liberalisation of the nuclear sector is essential.
    
    
  • Allow private sector investment in fuel supply, plant design, and construction.
    
    
  • Revamp the Atomic Energy Act to permit:
    
    
    • Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
      
      
    • Transparent bidding and contracts
      
      
    • Improved risk-sharing frameworks
      
      

 6. Strategic Advantages of Nuclear Power

• Base-load power (unlike solar/wind which are intermittent).
  
  
• Low carbon emissions — crucial for net-zero commitments.
  
  
• Helps reduce India’s dependence on coal imports.
  
  
• Energy security & long-term sustainability.
  
  

 7. Economic Potential & Job Creation

• Nuclear projects generate:
  
  
  • High-skilled jobs in engineering, design, safety, R&D.
    
    
  • Local industrial ecosystems (reactor manufacturing, fuel processing, etc.)
    
    
• Potential for India to emerge as a regional reactor supplier.
  
  

 8. Environmental & Climate Linkages

• To achieve the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Net Zero by 2070, nuclear must play a bigger role.
  
  
• A clean baseload source is necessary to back up renewables.
  
  
• India’s energy mix still dominated by coal (~70%) — nuclear can diversify this.
  
  

 9. Way Forward

• Create a comprehensive policy roadmap:
  
  
  • Revisit and amend Atomic Energy Act.
    
    
  • Incentivize foreign tech transfer and private sector R&D.
    
    
  • Improve public awareness and safety standards.
    
    
• Tap into SMRs (Small Modular Reactors) for faster deployment and flexibility.

 Conclusion

If India wants to redeem its nuclear promise, it must:
  Open the sector to foreign and private participation
  Ensure legal and regulatory certainty
  Integrate nuclear into its broader clean energy strategy