The government today said that various studies on India’s energy transition to Net Zero by 2070 have projected the need to have a national nuclear capacity of approximately 100 gigawatts by 2047. In a written reply in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for PMO, Dr Jitendra Singh said that recommendations of these studies are being reviewed for possible future adoption. He mentioned that a plan to increase the nuclear power capacity to 22,480 Megawatt by 2031-32 from the present installed capacity of 8,180 megawatts is being implemented. The installed nuclear power capacity in the country comprises 24 reactors. Of these, presently, one reactor of 100 Megwatt is under extended shutdown and three reactors of a total of 540 megawatts are under project mode for upgradation. The remaining 20 reactors with a total capacity of 7540 Megwatt are presently operating.
Dr Singh added that efforts to enhance the safety and operational performance of existing nuclear power plants by innovations in design, adoption of improved operational and maintenance practices, and implementation of upgrades are ongoing at Indian nuclear power plants.