India has stepped up its push for next-generation nuclear power, with the government allocating Rs. 20,000 crore under the Nuclear Energy Mission announced in the Union Budget 2025–26 to develop and deploy Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).

 

The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is currently working on three indigenous SMR designs: the 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200), the 55 MWe Small Modular Reactor (SMR-55), and a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor of up to 5 MWth designed for hydrogen generation. The first units of these reactors will be set up at DAE sites to demonstrate the technology.

 

Progress on the projects is already underway. The BSMR-200 has received in-principle approval, and its proposal for administrative and financial sanction has been cleared by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) for submission to the Cabinet Committee. The SMR-55 has also secured in-principle approval.

 

The hydrogen-focused High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGCR) has likewise received in-principle approval. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared, siting consent has been obtained, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has issued Terms of Reference for environmental clearance.

 

India has also made strides in domestic reactor technology. A special material known as “Advanced Purified Reactor Vessel Alloy (ApuRVA)”—along with forging technology for reactor pressure vessels for the BSMR-200 and SMR-55—has been developed indigenously in collaboration with Indian industry. The control rod drive mechanism has also been developed in-house.

 

Officials say the country already possesses the key technology required to deploy these reactors. Most components can be manufactured by Indian industries, with technical support from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

 

The SMR programme forms a critical part of India’s long-term nuclear roadmap. The government aims to build 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047. Currently, India’s nuclear capacity stands at 8.78 GW (excluding Rajasthan Atomic Power Station-I). That figure is expected to rise to around 22 GW by 2031-32 as ongoing projects are completed.

 

Beyond 2032, another 32 GW of nuclear capacity is planned through the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), largely through indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and Light Water Reactors (LWRs), pushing total capacity to about 54 GW by 2047. 

 

The remaining 46 GW is expected to come from public sector enterprises, state governments, private players, and joint ventures using multiple business models and technologies.

 

The Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR) is being jointly designed by BARC and NPCIL. Construction of a BSMR unit is estimated to take 60 to 72 months after administrative and financial approvals are granted.

 

Investment plans for the SMR programme include: ₹5,960 crore for development and construction of the BSMR-200; ₹7,000 crore for development and construction of two SMR-55 units; ₹320 crore for the design and construction of the HTGCR; ₹800 crore for design, engineering, and development of new reactors; ₹452 crore for civil and general infrastructure at the reactor complex.

 

The lead units of the BSMR-200 and SMR-55 are proposed to be built at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station in Maharashtra, while the HTGCR is planned at BARC Vizag in Andhra Pradesh.

 

The details were shared by Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha recently.