India must urgently overhaul its green finance frameworks and build a specialised nuclear workforce if it is to achieve its ambitious target of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, according to Abhay Karandikar, Member, NITI Aayog.

 

Speaking at the NuclearX Inaugural Forum during Bharat Electricity 2026, Karandikar said policy reforms, financing access and workforce development would be critical to unlocking private and global investment needed to rapidly scale up the country’s nuclear sector.

 

Under the theme “Unlocking Investments for India’s 100GW Civil Nuclear Ambition,” NuclearX 2026, the Global Forum on Nuclear Investment, brought together policymakers, industry leaders and global nuclear experts to focus on the investment and policy reforms required to expand India’s civil nuclear programme.

 

The forum was organised by The Energy and Climate Initiatives Society (ENCIS), with the World Nuclear Association as Knowledge Partner. Its Director General, Sama Bilbao Y León, delivered the theme address. Invest India, the Government of India’s national investment promotion and facilitation agency, participated as Investment Facilitation Partner, underlining the push to attract both domestic and international capital into the sector.

 

Karandikar flagged a major financing gap, noting that India’s sovereign green bond, RBI green deposit and SEBI green debt securities frameworks currently exclude nuclear energy. He called for these frameworks to be reviewed to allow nuclear projects access to green finance, pointing to evolving positions at global institutions such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

 

The NITI Aayog member also stressed that financing alone would not be enough. India will need a deep pool of specialised nuclear talent to support the sector’s expansion. NITI Aayog has set up a committee to develop a roadmap for capacity building across all levels of nuclear education and skills.

 

The investment push comes as India faces rapidly rising electricity demand from data centres, green hydrogen and new industrial loads.

 

Nivruti Rai, MD & CEO, Invest India, commented, “India’s energy demand is set to surge as our data centre capacity alone is projected to grow from 1.7 GW today to 10 GW by 2032, over five times the increase, outpacing global trends. With 725,000 tons of green hydrogen tendered and new digital and industrial loads coming online, nuclear power will be vital for stable, reliable supply. 

 

'Achieving our 100 GW nuclear ambition by 2047 will require a strong push for indigenisation to reduce costs by 30%, and closing technology gaps in areas like uranium enrichment and small modular reactors. By enacting bold policy reforms and forging robust public-private partnerships, India can emerge as the world’s third-largest nuclear power and secure a clean, resilient energy future.”

 

The scale of the challenge was underscored by Ghanshyam Prasad, Chairperson, Central Electricity Authority, who linked nuclear expansion to the country’s broader electricity demand and infrastructure build-out.

 

“India’s energy transition demands a careful balance of resources, long-term planning, and robust policy action. Last year, we commissioned a record 64,000 MW of new capacity, and we’re targeting 70,000 MW this year to keep pace with rising demand from emerging sectors like data centres and green hydrogen. For nuclear, accelerating site identification, streamlining regulatory approvals to under 10 years, and building skilled manpower are crucial to achieving our 100 GW vision.”

 

India currently operates 25 nuclear reactors with a combined capacity of about 8.8 GW across seven sites. Projects under construction and new reactors in the pipeline are expected to lift capacity to nearly 22 GW by 2032.

 

Reaching 100 GW by 2047, however, will require a far larger industrial ecosystem, including advanced reactor technologies, stronger domestic supply chains, faster project execution and new financing and deployment models.

 

Ambassador (Retd.) Rakesh Sood, Distinguished Fellow, Council for Strategic and Defense Research, said the sector had reached a decisive point in its development.

 

“India’s nuclear journey now stands at a crossroads of ambition and opportunity. As we aim for 100 GW by 2047 and net zero by 2070, our policy choices must balance strategic autonomy, resource security, and public engagement, while fostering innovation, robust regulation, and private investment. The path ahead demands both technological leadership and broad-based public acceptance to truly power a developed, climate-resilient Bharat.”

 

The nuclear investment agenda formed part of the wider Bharat Electricity, POWERGEN India & Indian Utility Week 2026, organised by ENCIS. The event brought together more than 15,000 professionals, 250 exhibitors and 150 global thought leaders from 40 countries.

 

Day two also spotlighted clean-energy leadership from Gujarat and Karnataka, with dedicated sessions examining state-level policy innovation, grid modernisation and renewable-energy integration.

 

Across the summit, executive roundtables and industry forums focused on mobilising capital, forging technology partnerships, driving regulatory innovation and accelerating the digital transformation of utilities.

 

For India, the message from the NuclearX forum was clear: the 100 GW nuclear ambition will depend not just on building reactors, but on reforming finance, developing technology and creating the skilled workforce needed to deliver them.