India currently operates 24 nuclear power plants, excluding RAPS‑1, with a combined installed capacity of 8,780 MW. Under the Nuclear Energy Mission, the Government has charted an ambitious plan to raise this capacity to 100 GW by 2047. As part of the roadmap, the existing capacity of 8.78 GW is expected to grow to around 22 GW by 2031–32 as several ongoing projects reach completion.
Beyond 2032, an additional 32 GW is planned to be added by NPCIL through a combination of indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and Light Water Reactors (LWRs), taking the NPCIL‑led capacity to roughly 54 GW by 2047. The remaining 46 GW is expected to come from Central and State Public Sector Enterprises, State Governments, private companies and joint ventures, using a range of reactor technologies and business models.
BHAVINI is currently commissioning the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu. The Government has also approved pre‑project activities for two more fast breeder reactors, FBR‑1 and FBR‑2, of 500 MWe each at the same site.
Once the PFBR achieves first criticality, the Government will be approached for financial sanction to begin full‑scale work on these twin units. In parallel, the Department of Atomic Energy is developing a small demonstration molten salt reactor to test key technologies needed for efficient utilisation of India’s abundant thorium reserves. Research is underway on specialised materials, molten fluoride salt chemistry and crucial reactor components. A higher‑power commercial version of this reactor will be taken up after successful operation of the demonstration model.
To support the expanding nuclear programme, a dedicated research and development centre is also being set up in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. According to the long‑term plan for achieving 100 GW, the final portfolio will include 46.5 GW from PHWRs, 38.8 GW from Light Water Reactors, 10 GW from Bharat Small/Modular Reactors (BSMRs) and 5 GW from Fast Breeder Reactors.
The roadmap also proposes converting 10 old or retired thermal‑power‑plant sites into nuclear facilities and boosting domestic manufacturing under the “Make in India” initiative. Achieving this scale of expansion will require amendments to the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, to enable greater participation from the private sector and foreign investors.
The entire programme is expected to require an investment of about Rs 20,00,000 crore, with NPCIL contributing 54 GW of the total planned capacity. The Government has also earmarked Rs 20,000 crore for research and development in Small Modular Reactors, with a target of having at least five indigenous SMRs operational by 2033.
The nuclear expansion roadmap forms a key component of the broader “Viksit Bharat” vision to diversify India’s energy mix and ensure reliable, low‑carbon baseload power for the future.
