India has set a goal to increase its nuclear power capacity to 100 GW by 2047, aligning with its independence centenary, to enhance long-term energy security and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. Currently, the country operates 24 nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 8,780 MWe, with an additional eight reactors under construction with a capacity of 6,028 MWe. Government projections suggest that the installed nuclear capacity will reach about 22 GW by the early 2030s before significantly expanding to meet the 100 GW target.
To achieve this substantial growth, India is pursuing a dual strategy involving the development of large reactors like the indigenous 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) and imported high-capacity units at new sites, alongside smaller modular systems such as the 200 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactors (BSMRs) and 55 MWe SMR-55 units. A significant milestone was reached on April 6, 2026, when the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu achieved first criticality, marking the initiation of a controlled nuclear fission chain reaction.
India’s nuclear program is structured around a three-stage strategy aimed at maximizing limited uranium resources and utilizing its abundant thorium reserves. The first stage involves PHWRs fueled by natural uranium to produce plutonium, followed by fast breeder reactors in the second stage that use plutonium as fuel and generate more fissile material than they consume. The final stage focuses on thorium-based reactors to produce uranium-233 for sustained nuclear power generation. The PFBR, utilizing uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel and liquid sodium coolant, is designed to produce more fuel than it consumes, laying the groundwork for future thorium utilization. The 500 MWe reactor has the capacity to power approximately half a million households.
