100GW of nuclear power by 2047, 5 reactors this decade: Inside PM Modi’s energy self-reliance plan

Ta get
of
100
GW
of
uclea
e e gy
by
2047,
5
ew
uclea
eacto s
to
be
ope atio al
withi
6-7
yea s:
PM
Modi

NEW
DELHI:
P ime
Mi iste
Na e d a
Modi
o
Satu day
a ou ced
a
expa sio
of
I dia’s
ambitious
uclea
powe
p og amme,
setti g
a
ta get
of
100
GW
of
uclea
powe
capacity
by
2047.PM
Modi
said
five
ew
uclea
eacto s
would
be
ope atio alised
du i g
this
decade
as
the
cou t y
seeks
g eate
e e gy
secu ity
a d
self- elia ce.Add essi g
the
atio
f om
the
ampa ts
of
the
Red
Fo t
o
the
80th
I depe de ce
Day,
PM
Modi
said
I dia
had
take
a
impo ta t
step
towa ds
self- elia ce
i
uclea
e e gy
with
the
500
MWe
P ototype
Fast
B eede
Reacto
(PFBR)
at
Kalpakkam
i
Tamil
Nadu
attai i g
fi st
c iticality
i
Ap il
this
yea .PM
Modi
said
uclea
powe
would
be
a
impo ta t
compo e t
of
I dia’s
e e gy
secu ity
as
dema d
fo
elect icity
ises
with
the
expa sio
of
tech ologies
such
as
semico ducto s,
a tificial
i tellige ce
a d
data
ce t es.
He
also
efe ed
to
the
gove me t’s
uclea
policy
efo ms
a d
the
SHANTI
Act,
e acted
i
Decembe
2025,
as
pa t
of
effo ts
to
expa d
the
secto .“The
ew
wo ld
ca ot
u
without
e e gy.
Whethe
they
a e
(semico ducto )
chips,
AI
o
data
ce t es,
the
cou t y
eeds
lots
of
elect icity
…
That’s
why
we
have
al eady
take
st o g
steps
to
e su e
e e gy
secu ity,”
he
added.

PM
Modi
said
I dia
had
set
the
goal
of
eachi g
100
GW
of
uclea
powe
capacity
by
2047,
with
five
ew
eacto s
expected
to
become
ope atio al
i
the
cu e t
decade.

I dia
e te s
seco d
stage
of
th ee-stage
uclea
p og amme

The
PFBR
at
Kalpakkam
ma ks
I dia’s
e t y
i to
the
seco d
stage
of
its
th ee-stage
uclea
powe
p og amme,
o igi ally
co ceived
by
Homi
J
Bhabha.The
500
MWe
eacto ,
developed
a d
built
i dige ously
at
the
Kalpakkam
Nuclea
Complex,
attai ed
fi st
c iticality
o
Ap il
6,
2026.
It
is
bei g
built
by
Bha atiya
Nabhikiya
Vidyut
Nigam
Limited,
o
BHAVINI,
u de
the
Depa tme t
of
Atomic
E e gy,
with
tech ology
developed
by
the
I di a
Ga dhi
Ce t e
fo
Atomic
Resea ch.The
fi st
stage
of
I dia’s
uclea
p og amme
elies
o
P essu ised
Heavy
Wate
Reacto s,
o
PHWRs,
which
use
atu al
u a ium
as
fuel
a d
p oduce
pluto ium
as
a
byp oduct.The
seco d
stage
uses
this
pluto ium
i
fast
b eede
eacto s.
The
PFBR
uses
u a ium-pluto ium
mixed
oxide,
o
MOX,
fuel
a d
is
desig ed
to
p oduce
mo e
fissile
mate ial
tha
it
co sumes.The
thi d
stage
of
the
p og amme
is
aimed
at
usi g
I dia’s
la ge
tho ium
ese ves
to
p oduce
u a ium-233
fo
uclea
powe
ge e atio .The
PFBR
is
the efo e
i te ded
to
se ve
as
a
b idge
betwee
I dia’s
existi g
u a ium-based
uclea
p og amme
a d
its
lo ge -te m
tho ium-based
e e gy
st ategy.

Why
PFBR
matte s
fo
I dia’s
uclea
expa sio

The
PFBR
is
a
500
MWe
sodium-cooled
fast
b eede
eacto
desig ed
to
use
pluto ium-based
fuel
while
b eedi g
additio al
fissile
mate ial.A
bla ket
of
u a ium-238
a ou d
the
eacto
co e
ca
be
co ve ted
i to
pluto ium-239
th ough
the
actio
of
fast
eut o s.
This
allows
the
eacto
to
ge e ate
elect icity
while
p oduci g
additio al
fuel.The
eacto ‘s
tech ology
is
pa ticula ly
eleva t
to
I dia’s
uclea
st ategy
because
the
cou t y
has
elatively
limited
u a ium
esou ces
but
substa tial
tho ium
ese ves.The
Depa tme t
of
Atomic
E e gy
has
said
the
PFBR
will
eve tually
help
lay
the
fou datio
fo
the
thi d
stage
of
I dia’s
uclea
p og amme,
i
which
tho ium
would
be
used
to
p oduce
u a ium-233.PM
Modi
had
ea lie
desc ibed
the
PFBR
milesto e
as
a
majo
developme t
i
I dia’s
civil
uclea
p og amme.“Today,
I dia
takes
a
defi i g
step
i
its
civil
uclea
jou ey,
adva ci g
the
seco d
stage
of
its
uclea
p og amme.”PM
Modi
had
also
said,
“This
adva ced
eacto ,
capable
of
p oduci g
mo e
fuel
tha
it
co sumes,
eflects
the
depth
of
ou
scie tific
capability
a d
the
st e gth
of
ou
e gi ee i g
e te p ise.
It
is
a
decisive
step
towa ds
ha essi g
ou
vast
tho ium
ese ves
i
the
thi d
stage
of
the
p og amme.”

Nuclea
powe
see
as
key
to
meeti g
isi g
elect icity
dema d

I
his
I depe de ce
Day
add ess,
PM
Modi
li ked
I dia’s
uclea
expa sio
with
the
cou t y’s
apidly
i c easi g
dema d
fo
elect icity.He
poi ted
to
the
g owi g
powe
equi eme ts
of
semico ducto
ma ufactu i g,
a tificial
i tellige ce
a d
data
ce t es,
sayi g
e e gy
secu ity
would
become
i c easi gly
impo ta t
as
I dia
expa ds
its
tech ology
a d
ma ufactu i g
secto s.“It
is
difficult
to
build
a
ew
wo ld.
That
is
why,
whethe
it
is
a
chip,
AI,
o
data
ce t e,
we
eed
elect icity
i
la ge
qua tity.
The
ew
e a
dema ds
e e gy.”PM
Modi
said
I dia
had
take
steps
to
st e gthe
e e gy
secu ity
by
expa di g
both
uclea
a d
e ewable
e e gy
capacity.He
said
uclea
e e gy
was
vital
fo
e su i g
a
stable
supply
of
elect icity
while
the
cou t y
simulta eously
expa ds
sola ,
wi d
a d
othe
e ewable
sou ces.

I dia
ta gets
500
GW
e ewable
e e gy
by
2030

Alo gside
the
uclea
expa sio ,
PM
Modi
highlighted
the
g owth
of
I dia’s
e ewable
e e gy
capacity.He
said
I dia’s
sola
e e gy
capacity
had
ise
f om
2
GW
i
2014
to
160
GW,
while
the
cou t y
had
set
a
ta get
of
500
GW
of
e ewable
e e gy
capacity
by
2030.PM
Modi
also
efe ed
to
the
PM
Su ya
Gha
Muft
Bijli
Yoja a,
sayi g
a ou d
50
lakh
households
had
bee
cove ed
u de
the
ooftop
sola
p og amme.Thousa ds
of
co sume s,
he
said,
we e
also
ea i g
th ough
elect icity
ge e ated
f om
ooftop
sola
systems.Be eficia ies
u de
the
scheme
ca
eceive
a
subsidy
of
up
to
Rs
80,000
pe
household
fo
i stalli g
ooftop
sola
systems.PM
Modi
also
said
I dia’s
ailway
elect ificatio
had
expa ded
sha ply,
helpi g
educe
diesel
co sumptio
a d
impo ts.He
said
I dia
had
also
sta ted
wo k
o
a
hyd oge
t ai
as
pa t
of
its
b oade
clea -e e gy
t a sitio .

SHANTI
Act
seeks
to
eshape
I dia’s
uclea
powe
f amewo k

PM
Modi
also
efe ed
to
the
Sustai able
Ha essi g
a d
Adva ceme t
of
Nuclea
E e gy
fo
T a sfo mi g
I dia,
o
SHANTI
Act,
e acted
i
Decembe
2025.The
legislatio
is
i te ded
to
mode ise
I dia’s
uclea
legal
f amewo k
a d
facilitate
g eate
pa ticipatio
i
the
uclea
secto
u de
egulato y
ove sight.The
law
fo ms
pa t
of
the
gove me t’s
b oade
effo t
to
expa d
uclea
powe
capacity
a d
b i g
ew
i vestme t
a d
tech ology
i to
the
secto .The
U io
Budget
2025-26
had
also
a ou ced
a
Nuclea
E e gy
Missio
with
a
allocatio
of
Rs
20,000
c o e
fo
the
desig ,
developme t
a d
deployme t
of
Small
Modula
Reacto s.The
gove me t
has
set
a
ta get
of
havi g
at
least
five
i dige ously
desig ed
small
modula
eacto s
ope atio al
by
2033.

I dia’s
uclea
capacity
to
expa d
f om
8.78
GW

I dia’s
i stalled
uclea
powe
capacity
cu e tly
sta ds
at
a ou d
8.78
GW,
acco di g
to
gove me t
data.Nuclea
powe
accou ted
fo
about
3.1%
of
I dia’s
elect icity
ge e atio
i
2024-25,
whe
uclea
pla ts
ge e ated
56,681
millio
u its
of
elect icity.The
gove me t
has
p ojected
that
I dia’s
uclea
capacity
could
each
a ou d
22.38
GW
by
2031-32
th ough
the
developme t
of
i dige ous
700
MW
eacto s
a d
la ge
eacto s
bei g
developed
th ough
i te atio al
coope atio .The
100
GW
ta get
by
2047
would
the efo e
equi e
a
substa tial
expa sio
i
both
the
umbe
a d
scale
of
uclea
powe
p ojects
ove
the
ext
two
decades.

Five
eacto s
to
be
ope atio alised
this
decade

PM
Modi
said
I dia
would
ope atio alise
five
uclea
eacto s
du i g
the
cu e t
decade
as
pa t
of
its
push
towa ds
g eate
uclea
capacity.The
expa sio
is
expected
to
i volve
multiple
eacto
tech ologies,
i cludi g
I dia’s
i dige ous
PHWR
desig s
a d
adva ced
eacto
tech ologies.The
gove me t
is
also
developi g
small
modula
eacto
desig s,
i cludi g
the
200
MWe
Bha at
Small
Modula
Reacto
a d
the
55
MWe
SMR-55,
as
well
as
othe
adva ced
eacto
co cepts.The
expa sio
is
aimed
at
i c easi g
the
co t ibutio
of
uclea
e e gy
to
I dia’s
elect icity
mix
while
mai tai i g
the
cou t y’s
b oade
clea -e e gy
a d
et-ze o
commitme ts.

Nuclea
powe
a d
I dia’s
2070
et-ze o
ta get

The
expa sio
of
uclea
powe
is
also
li ked
to
I dia’s
commitme t
to
achieve
et-ze o
ca bo
emissio s
by
2070.U like
sola
a d
wi d
powe ,
uclea
eacto s
ca
p ovide
co ti uous
elect icity
a d
a e
ot
depe de t
o
weathe
co ditio s.
This
makes
uclea
ge e atio
a
pote tial
sou ce
of
fi m,
low-ca bo
elect icity
alo gside
e ewable
e e gy.The
gove me t
has
the efo e
positio ed
uclea
powe
as
pa t
of
a
wide
e e gy
mix
that
i cludes
sola ,
wi d,
hyd oge
a d
othe
clea -e e gy
sou ces.PM
Modi’s
a ou ceme t
of
the
100
GW
ta get
ma ks
a
substa tial
i c ease
i
I dia’s
lo g-te m
uclea
ambitio s
a d
places
uclea
powe
at
the
ce t e
of
the
cou t y’s
e e gy
secu ity
st ategy
as
it
wo ks
towa ds
the
Viksit
Bha at
2047
goal.

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