India has advanced a domestic program to build small modular reactors, with a goal of bringing a minimum of five units online by 2033 as part of a broader effort to move away from fossil fuel-based electricity generation.
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is developing three reactor variants: a 220-megawatt unit called the Bharat Small Modular Reactor, a 55-megawatt reactor, and a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor intended for hydrogen production. These designs are being progressed domestically as part of the government's push to add more nuclear capacity.
In a written statement to parliament, Atomic Energy Department Minister Jitendra Singh said the Atomic Energy Commission has selected Tarapur in Maharashtra as the site for both the 220 MW and 55 MW projects. The minister emphasized the selection in the formal notice to lawmakers.
New Delhi opened its nuclear generation sector to private domestic and foreign companies last year. The government has set an ambitious long-term target to expand installed nuclear capacity from the current 8.8 gigawatts (GW) to 100 GW by 2047. In nearer-term planning, the minister said India intends to reach about 22 GW of installed nuclear capacity by 2031-32, with small reactors contributing to that growth.
Several other countries - specifically the United States, Russia and South Korea - are also developing small modular reactors as a clean energy option for industrial uses, the minister noted.
Currently, Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), the state-owned operator, manages all of India’s nuclear plants and has set a target of 50 GW of capacity. NTPC, the country’s largest coal-plant operator, has announced an aim of 30 GW of nuclear capacity. Private sector groups including the Adani Group, Tata Power and Reliance Industries are exploring investments in the nuclear sector, the minister said.
Context and significance
The decision to develop multiple SMR designs domestically and to site initial projects at Tarapur signals a concrete step in India’s strategy to increase nuclear generation capacity. Small reactors are presented as part of the pathway toward the government’s mid-century target of 100 GW, and as contributors to the 2031-32 interim goal of roughly 22 GW.
What remains limited in the public record
- Timelines for individual reactor construction milestones beyond the 2033 operational target for at least five units are not provided in the parliamentary statement.
- Specific commercial partners, financing arrangements or detailed deployment schedules for private-sector involvement were not listed in the statement.