India Pushes Indigenous SMRs and Thorium Plan for Nuclear Expansion

The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is working on the 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200) and the 55 MWe SMR-55 for electricity generation.

India is expanding its homegrown nuclear energy ecosystem through advanced reactors, Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), stronger domestic manufacturing and greater industry participation, while keeping thorium at the centre of its longer-term energy strategy. Minister of State Dr. Jitendra Singh, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, said these efforts are being shaped by the Nuclear Energy Mission announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, which has set an objective of expanding nuclear power capacity to 100 GWe by 2047.

The government is pursuing large indigenous reactors such as 700 MWe Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors at greenfield locations while developing smaller reactors for brownfield sites, retiring fossil-fuel power plants, energy-intensive industries and remote areas where conventional grid-based generation may be difficult.

Five Indigenous Small Reactors Planned by 2033

A major target under the Nuclear Energy Mission is to develop and operationalise at least five indigenous SMRs by 2033. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is working on the 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200) and the 55 MWe SMR-55 for electricity generation.

BARC is also developing a High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor with capacity of up to 5 MWth, which could be paired with an appropriate thermochemical process for hydrogen production, extending the potential use of nuclear technology beyond conventional electricity generation.

Domestic Industry Gets Larger Role in Nuclear Ecosystem

Indian companies are being encouraged to participate through technology knowledge-sharing, manufacturing and research, with domestic industry already producing critical components such as low-alloy steel forgings for reactor pressure vessels and reactivity control drive mechanisms. Development work for additional specialised equipment is being taken up with Indian companies and start-ups.

The government said reforms under the SHANTI Act, 2025 envisage wider private participation in nuclear manufacturing, engineering services, research, development and supply chains while retaining strict requirements covering nuclear safety, security and safeguards. The legislation also provides statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.

Thorium Remains Central to India's Long-Term Strategy

India's three-stage nuclear power programme is designed to make greater use of domestic resources and eventually tap the country's abundant thorium reserves. Natural uranium fuels Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors in the first stage, while plutonium recovered from spent fuel is intended for Fast Breeder Reactors in the second stage, creating the foundation for large-scale thorium use in the third stage.

Thorium cannot directly serve as fissile reactor fuel and must first be converted into uranium-233. India has already used Thorium Oxide pellets in PHWR cores and irradiated thorium-based fuels in BARC research reactors, while recovered uranium-233 has been fabricated into fuel for the KAMINI reactor at Kalpakkam.

Nuclear Expansion Linked With Energy Self-Reliance

The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research continues research and engineering work on Sodium Cooled Fast Breeder Reactors and closed fuel-cycle facilities, technologies considered essential for progressing towards the later stages of India's nuclear programme.

Alongside power generation, the government is expanding indigenous nuclear medicine infrastructure through the Isotope Production Reactor to increase domestic medical isotope production. Together, reactor development, manufacturing capacity, private participation and fuel-cycle research form part of India's wider effort to strengthen energy security while reducing dependence on imported nuclear technologies and equipment.