Energy Notes 11/04: India’s SMRs
India’s largest power producer, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), is looking to replace some of its aging coal-fired plants with small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). The company has floated a tender seeking expressions of interest (EoIs) from vendors to conduct feasibility studies for deploying SMRs at its existing sites.
NTPC plans to raise around $62 billion over the next two decades to fund this nuclear push.
In a related development, the government unveiled more details about its planned SMR configurations. In a written response to a Rajya Sabha question, Power Minister Jitendra Singh outlined three new reactor technologies.
The Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR) is a 200 MWe Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) incorporating passive safety features and engineered systems. It will use slightly enriched uranium fuel and will be used as a captive source of power for hard-to-decarbonize industries like steel and aluminum. A 55 MWe PWR block modular reactor with an exclusion zone restricted to plant boundaries is suitable for providing energy for remote as well as off-grid locations.
The final reactor in India’s nuclear stable is a 5 MWe Indian gas cooled reactor. “The high temperature reactor will be coupled with plants utilizing thermo-chemicals for demonstration of hydrogen process production for decarbonization of transport sector and process industries,” stated Singh.
The move aligns with a global trend—utilities around the world are converting old coal plants into nuclear facilities. A study by the U.S. Department of Energy (DoE) highlights that such transitions can bring significant economic and workforce benefits.
That said, NTPC’s plans are still in early stages. The timeline remains uncertain, and no major steps are expected before 2030. The Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has already advised power generators to avoid retiring or repurposing coal plants before then, given the country’s growing energy demand. Plus, the approval and construction process for nuclear reactors is typically long and complex. According to Singh, the lead demonstration unit for these reactors will be completed within six years after financial approval. The commissioning and regular operations of the reactor will commence in the seventh year. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) will assist private vendors to manufacture critical components like reactors and pressure systems after financial approval. Based on the government’s estimates then, it will take, at least, until 2032 before the SMRs are deployed onsite. The Indian government had earlier said it planned to deploy five SMRs by 2033.
