“India’s Nuclear Power generation capacity to increase by around 70% in the next five years”, says Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh

India's nuclear power generation capacity is set to witness a significant increase of around 70% in the next five years, as Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh stated during a high-level meeting to review the 100-day Action Plan of the Department of Atomic Energy. He highlighted that the installed capacity of 7.48 GWe will reach 13.08 GWe by 2029, with the addition of 7 new reactors. This meeting marks the first Atomic Energy-related meeting convened by Mr. Jitendra Singh after he reassumed charge as the minister in the third term of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi's Government. Emphasizing the importance of Indigenous technology development and promoting energy security, he directed the department to integrate and collaborate to harness the full potential through capacity-building, sharing knowledge, resources, and expertise. He also mentioned the government's efforts to allow Joint Ventures with public sector units, increase the budget through collaboration, utilize next-generation technologies, and enhance cooperation. The minister stressed the importance of providing a single-point approval to promote ease of science and living for citizens by applying nuclear technology.

He informed that the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is working on the development of the Bharat Small Reactor (BSR) and the Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR) 220 MW, which will use light water-based reactors by replacing the Calandria with a pressure vessel. Additionally, he highlighted the progress made by BHAVINI, a public sector undertaking, in completing the initial fuel loading of the Prototype Fast Breeder reactor, with its first approach to criticality expected in the coming months. This will be the first fast breeder reactor to produce more fuel than it consumes. The minister emphasized that along with energy security, the department should also focus on health and food security, radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine, agriculture, and food preservation. He stated that the development in radiation technology will lead to economic and societal benefits for the common citizens, promoting ease of living and research in basic, applied, and translational sciences using subatomic particles.

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