Overview
- Dr Jitendra Singh told Parliament Wednesday that the government aims to have at least five domestically designed small modular reactors (SMRs) operating by 2033 under its Nuclear Energy Mission.
- India’s current nuclear fleet stands at 8.78 GW and officials project capacity will reach about 22 GW by fiscal 2031–32 from projects now under implementation.
- The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is developing three SMR types—the 220 MW BSMR‑200, the 55 MW SMR‑55, and an up to 5 MWth high‑temperature gas‑cooled reactor for hydrogen production—and all three have received in‑principle engineering and construction approvals.
- Regulators have approved Tarapur as the site for the BSMR‑200 and SMR‑55 and the Atomic Energy Commission has cleared administrative and financial sanction steps plus Empowered Technology Group approval for the BSMR‑200; the HTGCR has siting consent at BARC Visakhapatnam and has received terms of reference for environmental clearance.
- Significant work remains before reactors are built or run because projects need detailed engineering, statutory environmental approvals, financing, supply‑chain readiness and coordination between NPCIL, other public entities and new private entrants as part of a broader plan to reach 100 GW by 2047.