India targets five SMRs by 2033 amid oil price swings
India plans to develop and operationalise at least five indigenous small modular reactors by 2033, Atomic Energy Minister Jitendra Singh told Parliament. Coverage on OilPrice.com places the nuclear push in the wider oil price and energy security debate as New Delhi targets 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047.
Key Takeaways
- India aims to build and run at least five indigenous SMRs by 2033 under the Nuclear Energy Mission.
- Installed nuclear capacity is expected to rise from 8.78 GW now to about 22 GW by FY32.
- BARC is developing the 220 MW BSMR-200, 55 MW SMR-55, and an HTGCR of up to 5 MW for hydrogen.
- The SHANTI Act, 2025 opens nuclear generation and research to private participation.
- The long-term goal remains 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047.
Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy Dr. Jitendra Singh set out the roadmap in a written Lok Sabha reply on Wednesday, according to government and energy briefings. The plan sits inside the Nuclear Energy Mission announced in the Union Budget for FY26. For more celebrity breaking news and fast updates, follow BlasterPost’s live hub.
Why is India racing to five SMRs by 2033?
Officials say the five reactors are meant to speed indigenous nuclear deployment and support Viksit Bharat goals, while helping India move toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2070. OilPrice.com reported Singh’s confirmation that domestically built SMRs form a core part of the acceleration drive.
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is designing three SMR lines with in-principle approval for engineering and construction. Tarapur in Maharashtra has Atomic Energy Commission clearance as the site for the BSMR-200 and SMR-55. The BSMR-200 has also secured administrative and financial sanction from the AEC and Empowered Technology Group approval.
How big is the 100 GW nuclear roadmap?
India’s nuclear fleet stands at 8.78 GW today. Completing projects already under way should lift capacity to roughly 22 GW by 2031-32, Singh said. NPCIL then envisages another 32 GW of indigenous PHWRs and LWRs beyond FY32, taking the total to about 54 GW by 2047.
The remaining 46 GW is expected from central and state public enterprises, state governments, private firms and joint ventures using varied technologies and business models. A power ministry panel earlier put cumulative capital needs for the 100 GW path at about 19.28 trillion rupees, or roughly $200 billion.
What does the SHANTI Act change for investors?
Parliament’s SHANTI Act, 2025—Sustainable Harnessing of Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India—backs the mission and lets private companies enter nuclear power generation and research for the first time. It also grants statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, strengthening independent safety oversight and enforcement.
BARC’s third design, an HTGCR of up to 5 MW thermal, is planned as a heat source for hydrogen via thermochemical cycles such as copper-chlorine. The proposed site is BARC Visakhapatnam, where siting consent and environment ministry terms of reference for clearance are already in hand. BARC is also working with Indian industry on technology transfer to build a domestic SMR manufacturing base.
Safety, the government stressed, remains the top priority across design, construction and operation, with layered defence-in-depth and ongoing NPCIL and AERB reviews. Radioactive waste will continue under the 1987 disposal rules and AERB’s waste-management code.