India plans to expand its nuclear power capacity to 100 GW by 2047, and expects private companies to play a significant role, according to Atomic Energy Commission chairman A K Mohanty, as reported by PTI.
Mohanty said the private sector could contribute 30 GW of the target, and that opening nuclear power to private players is expected to attract about Rs 7.5 lakh crore of investment.
The scale-up starts from a small base. India currently has 8.78 GW of installed nuclear capacity from 24 reactors, according to the Department of Atomic Energy. The government aims to reach about 22 GW by 2031-32 before expanding further to 100 GW by 2047.
State-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), which operates the country's nuclear plants, is planned to grow to 54 GW by 2047. Other public-sector companies, state governments and private players are expected to provide the remaining 46 GW.
Fuel supply is central to the plan. India has identified about 439,800 tonnes of in-situ uranium oxide resources across several states, and 1.18 million tonnes of thorium oxide contained in monazite sands. Mohanty said India holds 25% of global thorium reserves, which could support the second and third stages of its three-stage nuclear programme. Thorium must first be converted into fissile uranium-233 before it can be used as fuel.
The government presents the expansion as a way to meet rising electricity demand, improve energy security and add reliable low-carbon power to the grid.
What to watch: the rules for private participation, which companies commit to projects, and whether the 22 GW interim target for 2031-32 stays on track.
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