DH NEWS SERVICE
New Delhi, Mar 27
The government on Thursday informed the Rajya Sabha that the installed capacity of nuclear energy in the country will reach 13 GW by 2029-30 from present 8.18 GW, and it will further enhance to 22.5 GW once all sanctioned projects are completed by 2032.
This was informed by Minister of State of Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh in the House during the Question Hour.
“In this Budget a nuclear mission has been announced…I’m sure in the times to come, the history would record that this has been one of the most path breaking decisions in the history of independent India. And if one was asked to define in a single sentence, the hallmark of this decision…is the true vindication of Homi Bhabha’s dream,” the minister said while replying queries of the members.
About private players’ participation in the nuclear sector, Singh said an important component of the nuclear mission is that India will go in with the public-private participation, in a big way, in the manufacturing of small modular reactors, which are particularly relevant to a country like India.
According to Singh, allowing private participation into nuclear sector is expected to gear up a rapid scale-up of nuclear capacity, for which legislative changes are being pursed to facilitate an active participation and partnership of public and private sector in nuclear.
He further said that nuclear energy is expected to cater to a host of end-uses beyond base-load electricity supply to national grid, like captive power and process heat to industry, electricity and/or fresh water (through sea water nuclear desalination) in isolated grids, and clean hydrogen for hard-to-abate sectors.
Beyond 2030, Singh said, there are two national goals for the country – ‘Energy Independence by 2047’ and ‘Net Zero by 2070’.
The optimum energy mix for the future needs to leverage all available energy sources to ensure quality and reliable electricity for nation’s energy security at a minimum cost to the consumer.
Nuclear as complimentary source to renewable energy has multiple advantages, which adds to grid stability, balancing and reducing the need for energy storage system, which in turn helps in reducing the need for critical minerals required for battery, he said.
The Union Budget 2025-26 outlines a significant push towards nuclear energy as part of India’s long-term energy transition strategy. The government has set an ambitious target of 100 GW nuclear power capacity by 2047, positioning nuclear energy as a major pillar in India’s energy mix.
Recognising nuclear power as a critical component for achieving energy security and sustainability, the government has introduced the Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat.
The minister informed that a key highlight of the Union Budget 2025-26 is the launch of a Nuclear Energy Mission, which is focused on research and development (R&D) of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). The government has allocated Rs 20,000 crore for this initiative.
