BharatNotes What is Nuclear Power in India?
Nuclear power in India is electricity produced by controlled fission of heavy atomic nuclei in reactors operated chiefly by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), with fast-reactor work under Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI). Both sit within the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). The sector is governed by the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and regulated for safety by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).
The Three-Stage Programme
Formulated by Homi Bhabha in 1954, the three-stage programme is tailored to India's resource profile of modest uranium but very large thorium reserves.
| Stage | Reactor type | Fuel | Moderator/Coolant | Output of interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage 1 | Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) | Natural uranium | Heavy water (D2O) | Plutonium-239 |
| Stage 2 | Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) | Pu-239 + U-238/Th-232 | Liquid sodium (coolant) | More Pu-239; breeds U-233 from Th-232 |
| Stage 3 | Thorium-based reactors | U-233 + Thorium | (advanced designs) | Long-term thorium energy |
A landmark milestone came when the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam attained first criticality on 6 April 2026, marking India's formal entry into Stage 2.
Current Status (as of 2025-26)
India's installed nuclear capacity was about 8,180 MW (PIB / Union Budget 2025-26 statement), across roughly two dozen operating reactors at seven sites. Nuclear power supplies only around 2-3% of India's electricity. Key plants include Tarapur (Maharashtra, India's oldest, commissioned 1969), Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu, the largest site with 1,000 MWe Russian VVER units), Kakrapar (Gujarat, home to India's first indigenous 700 MWe PHWRs), Rawatbhata (Rajasthan), Kaiga (Karnataka), Narora (Uttar Pradesh) and Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu).
Significance and Way Forward
The Nuclear Energy Mission, announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, targets 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, with an outlay of ₹20,000 crore for the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and a goal of at least five indigenously designed operational SMRs by 2033. An interim target raises capacity to about 22,480 MW by 2031-32. The Mission also envisages amending the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 to enable wider private-sector and foreign participation. Bharat Small Modular Reactors (BSMR-200) and a Bharat Small Reactor concept are under development by the DAE.
Nuclear energy is central to India's clean-energy transition: it is a low-carbon, high-density baseload source that complements intermittent solar and wind, supporting the net-zero-by-2070 pledge and the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.
UPSC Angle
For Prelims, lock down reactor types and their fuel/moderator/coolant, the three-stage logic (uranium to plutonium to thorium), and plant locations. For Mains GS3, frame nuclear power around energy security, climate goals, indigenous technology and the liability-law and privatisation debate. This is a foundational concept that underpins questions on India's energy mix and science-and-technology self-reliance.
