House panel discusses roadmap for developing 100GW nuclear power by 2047 | Mint

New Delhi: The Parliamentary consultative committee on power met on Monday to discuss the roadmap for nuclear power generation against the backdrop of India’s target of achieving 100GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047.

During the meeting chaired by the Union minister for power and housing & urban affairs Manohar Lal, members of parliament stressed the need for faster project execution, creating a favourable public narrative, ensuring technology diversification, and building robust vendor and manpower ecosystems for nuclear power.

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A statement from the power ministry said Lal reiterated the government’s commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2070 and emphasized that increasing the share of non-fossil fuel-based power generation is central to this vision.

As the power sector contributes over 40% of global energy-related emissions, nuclear energy, being a non-fossil and stable power source, will play an increasingly important role in India’s sustainable development journey, he said.

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The minister said that apart from electricity generation, nuclear energy can also serve non-electric applications such as hydrogen production, desalination, process steam, and space heating, thus supporting India’s broader energy transition goals.

Members of the committee were informed that India currently operates 25 nuclear reactors across seven locations, with a total installed capacity of 8,880MW, contributing about 3% of the country’s electricity generation. Eight reactors with 6,600MW capacity are under construction, and another ten with 7,000MW capacity are in pre-project stages.

“In line with India’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat @2047’, the Government has set a target of achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047. This will significantly strengthen India’s long-term energy security and contribute towards achieving clean energy goals,” said the official statement.

Lal outlined the key challenges and strategic steps required for scaling up nuclear energy including the need to amend the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 to enable broader participation by private and state sectors and strengthening public perception and enhancing awareness about nuclear energy’s safety and benefits.

He also stressed on the need to facilitate faster land acquisition through brownfield expansions and repurpose retired thermal sites and streamline regulatory approval processes to reduce project timelines.

The power minister also emphasized on the need for securing diversified uranium fuel sources and expanding the vendor base for specialized nuclear equipment and building skilled manpower capacity by strengthening nuclear education and training infrastructure.

In line with the 500GW installed non-fossil capacity target, the government has been focussing on nuclear power. In the union budget for FY26 the government announced Nuclear Energy Mission with an outlay of ₹20,000 crore for research and development of small modular reactors.