changeadminIn response to a question in parliament, India’s Department of Atomic Energy stated that the contribution of nuclear energy to India’s total electricity generation is about 3%.
In the year 2024-25, as against total electricity generation in the country of about 1,830 billion units, nuclear power contributed about 56.7 billion units (~ 3.1%).
The Government proposes to increase the share of nuclear power in total generation by augmenting its power capacity. The current capacity of 8,780 MW is planned to be increased to 22,380 MW by 2032, through progressive completion of projects under implementation.
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) in Tamil Nadu is the largest nuclear power station in India, with four more nuclear power reactors under construction. Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat and Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPP) are other major plants in operation.
Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), under the Department of Atomic Energy, is also setting up a 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) project at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.
Further, the Government has announced an ambitious Nuclear Energy mission with a target of reaching a nuclear power capacity of 100 GW by 2047 to contribute significantly to achieving the Net Zero target by 2070. In this year’s budget, an outlay of Rs. 20,000 crore (US$2.3 billion) was provisioned for achieving the goals under the mission.
The Nuclear Energy mission aims to augment power production from nuclear energy with the least carbon emission and to cater for the base load requirement, which fossil fuel-based power plants currently support.
The mission envisions deployment of large and small nuclear power plants in green fields, brown fields, as captive plants and for off-grid applications in remote locations.
This initiative aims to forge an active partnership with the private sector, R&D of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and enabling measures for new advanced technologies.
Three types of SMR are being designed and developed indigenously by BARC for demonstration. These reactors are:
- 200 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor.
- 55 MWe Small Modular Reactor
- 5 MWth High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor for hydrogen production by coupling with a suitable thermochemical process for hydrogen production.
You can also read
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