Govt Allocates Rs 20,000 Crore For Small Modular Reactor Development Under Nuclear Energy Mission

New Delhi, Mar 13 (KNN) The government has allocated Rs 20,000 crore under the Nuclear Energy Mission announced in the Union Budget 2025–26 to support the research, design, development and deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), the government informed the Rajya Sabha.

Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh said the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is currently developing three indigenous SMR technologies.

These include 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 capacity designed for hydrogen generation.

The lead units of these reactors will be established at DAE sites for technology demonstration, the minister said.

The BSMR-200 and SMR-55 projects have received in-principle approval, while the proposal for administrative and financial sanction for the BSMR-200 project has been cleared by the Atomic Energy Commission for submission to the Union Cabinet.

For the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been prepared, and siting consent along with terms of reference for environmental clearance has been received from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The government said several critical technologies required for SMR deployment have already been developed domestically. A special material known as Advanced Purified Reactor Vessel Alloy (ApuRVA) for reactor pressure vessels has been developed indigenously in collaboration with Indian industry, while the control rod drive mechanism has been developed in-house.

Most of the equipment required for these reactors falls within the manufacturing capability of Indian industry, with technical support from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

Roadmap for 100 GW nuclear capacity

The government has also drawn up a roadmap to achieve 100 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power capacity by 2047 under the Nuclear Energy Mission.

India’s current nuclear power capacity stands at 8.78 GW, excluding Rajasthan Atomic Power Station‑I.

With ongoing projects expected to be completed progressively, nuclear capacity is projected to reach around 22 GW by 2031–32.

Beyond 2032, the government plans to add another 32 GW of capacity through the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) using indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors and Light Water Reactors, taking the total to about 54 GW.

The remaining 46 GW is expected to be developed through public sector enterprises, state governments, private sector players and joint ventures under different business models and technologies.

The BSMR reactor is being jointly developed by BARC and NPCIL, and is expected to take around 60 to 72 months for construction after receiving administrative and financial approval, the minister said.

(KNN Bureau)