Dr. Jitendra Singh Presents Government’s Roadmap for a Self-Reliant and Globally Competitive Nuclear Energy Ecosystem in Lok Sabha

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Dr. Jitendra Singh outlined the Government’s roadmap to build a self‑reliant, globally competitive nuclear energy ecosystem. The Nuclear Energy Mission, announced in the Union Budget 2025‑26, targets 100 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2047, with a two‑pronged approach of large indigenous 700 MWe PHWRs and advanced reactors, and the deployment of at least five indigenous Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) by 2033. The SHANTI Act, 2025, seeks to broaden public‑private participation in nuclear manufacturing and R&D while granting statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. Ongoing work on the three‑stage programme aims to harness thorium resources, with BARC developing BSMR‑200, SMR‑55 and a 5 MWth HTGCR for hydrogen production, and IGCAR advancing fast‑breeder reactors. Domestic industry is already supplying critical components such as low‑alloy steel forgings, and the ecosystem is being expanded to include isotope production for medical use.