Centre outlines key directives towards 100 GW nuclear energy mission

New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Minister of State for Atomic Energy, Dr Jitendra Singh, on Friday jointly convened a high-level meeting to discuss the 100 GW Nuclear Energy Mission here.

This meeting follows up on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious target of expanding India’s clean energy basket and reaffirms the country's commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions.

During the meeting, a thorough review was conducted on the roadmap to increase India’s nuclear energy capacity from the current 8.8 GW to 22 GW by 2032, through the addition of 14 GW from various ongoing and upcoming projects.

The ministers outlined several key directives to expedite progress, including streamlining regulatory clearances, standardising documentation, optimising processing timelines, emphasising generic proposals, synchronising licenses, and investing in technical upgradation and capacity building.

Dr Singh highlighted the government’s landmark initiative to open the nuclear sector for private sector participation, emphasising its pivotal role in strengthening India’s energy security.

He also noted a strong and vibrant response from industries towards the Bharat Small Modular Reactor (SMR) programme, leading to an extension of the Request for Proposal (RFP) submission deadline to September 30, 2025, to encourage wider participation.

Dr Singh further stressed the government’s commitment to handholding and creating awareness among private sector players, many of whom were pleasantly surprised by the opening of the nuclear sector to private participation.

Power Minister Manohar Lal reiterated the importance of adhering to timelines and accelerating projects as per the established roadmap.

Presently, the installed nuclear power capacity in the country comprises 24 reactors with a total capacity of 8780 MW (excluding RAPS-1 (100 MW) under extended shutdown). In addition, a total capacity of 13,600 MW (including 500 MW PFBR being implemented by BHAVINI) is under different stages of implementation.

On the progressive completion of these expansion plans, the country’s installed nuclear power capacity is expected to reach 22,380 MW by the year 2031-32.

--IANS

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