India advances small reactor plans, targets five nuclear units by 2033

NEW DELHI: India said on Wednesday it has advanced plans for indigenous small modular reactors, and is aiming to bring at least five into operation by 2033 as the country moves towards lower dependency on fossil-based power generation.

The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is developing a 220-megawatt Bharat Small Modular Reactor, a 55-MW reactor and a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor designed to produce hydrogen.

The Atomic Energy Commission had approved Tarapur in Maharashtra as the site for both the 220 MW and 55 MW projects, an atomic energy department minister Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to the country’s parliament.

India, which is keen to expand its use of clean energy, last year opened its nuclear generation sector to domestic and foreign firms in the private sector. It aims to expand nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047 from about 8.8 GW at present.

India plans to increase its installed nuclear capacity to about 22 GW by 2031-32, with small reactors expected to play a role in the planned expansion, the minister said.

Small modular reactors are being developed by several countries, including the U.S., Russia and South Korea, and are seen as a viable option for supply of clean energy to industries.

State-run Nuclear Power Corp of India, currently India’s sole operator of nuclear plants, aims to have 50 GW of capacity while the country’s top coal plant operator NTPC, also state-run, is aiming for 30 GW of nuclear capacity.

Conglomerates such as Adani Group and several other private companies including Tata Power and Reliance Industries are looking at investing in the sector.