100GW of nuclear power by 2047, 5 reactors this decade: Inside PM Modi's energy self-reliance plan
In the Independence Day address on 15 August 2026, the government reiterated the target of achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, up from about 8.8 GW currently installed
Five new nuclear reactors are targeted to be commissioned and made operational within the next six to seven years
The address referenced the first criticality of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, achieved in April 2026, as a milestone in indigenous fast breeder technology
The SHANTI Act, 2025 was cited as the legal reform enabling private sector participation to accelerate reactor construction and help meet these targets
Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat (Union Budget 2025-26)
The Nuclear Energy Mission was announced in the Union Budget 2025-26 to scale India's nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047 in support of the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision and the Net Zero by 2070 commitment. It combined a funding allocation, an indigenous small modular reactor (SMR) programme, and proposed legal amendments to open the sector to private participation.
Key Details
- Budget 2025-26 allocated Rs 20,000 crore (about $2.1 billion) to the Mission
- It set a target of at least five indigenously designed Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) being operational by 2033
- Three indigenous SMR designs are under development by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre: a 220 MW Bharat Small Reactor based on proven pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) technology, a 55 MW SMR, and a small high-temperature gas-cooled reactor intended for hydrogen production
- The Mission originally proposed amending the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 — a proposal later realised through the standalone SHANTI Act, 2025
The 100 GW-by-2047 target and the "five reactors" framing in the Independence Day address build directly on this Mission, though the five-reactors-in-6-7-years pledge is a distinct, more immediate target from the 2033 SMR sub-goal.
India's Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme and the PFBR Milestone
India's nuclear power strategy follows the three-stage programme conceived by Homi Bhabha in 1954, designed around the country's large thorium reserves relative to limited uranium reserves. Stage 1 uses natural uranium in Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs); Stage 2 uses Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) fuelled by plutonium to breed fissile material and build up a thorium-processing capability; Stage 3 envisages thorium-based reactors.
Key Details
- The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), a 500 MWe reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, built by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), attained its first criticality on 6 April 2026
- India holds an estimated 25% or more of the world's known thorium reserves, among the largest globally, which is the strategic rationale for the three-stage programme
- Fast breeder reactors are termed "breeders" because they generate more fissile material (via a plutonium-uranium mixed oxide core with a depleted-uranium/thorium blanket) than they consume
PFBR's criticality is presented as evidence of progress into Stage 2 of the programme — a prerequisite for the thorium-based Stage 3 reactors that underpin the long-term 100 GW-by-2047 ambition.
SHANTI Act, 2025 — Enabling Private Capacity for Reactor Build-Out
The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy (SHANTI) Act, 2025 repeals the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, and opens nuclear power generation — under central regulatory oversight — to private Indian entities, typically through joint ventures with public sector operators such as NPCIL.
Key Details
- The Act took effect on 21 December 2025
- Enrichment, spent fuel reprocessing, and heavy water production remain the exclusive preserve of the central government, preserving strategic and non-proliferation safeguards
- The Act sets a graded operator liability capped at 300 million Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) per incident, ranging from Rs 100 crore to Rs 3,000 crore depending on installation capacity
The government has cited this legal reform as the enabling mechanism for mobilising private capital and execution capacity to meet the accelerated targets of five reactors in six to seven years and 100 GW by 2047.
- Current installed nuclear capacity in India: approximately 8.8 GW
- Interim target: approximately 22 GW nuclear capacity by the early 2030s
- Long-term target: 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047
- Nuclear Energy Mission (Budget 2025-26) outlay: Rs 20,000 crore
- Target: at least 5 indigenous Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) operational by 2033
- Separately announced: 5 new reactors to be commissioned and operational within 6-7 years (August 2026 announcement)
- PFBR (500 MWe), Kalpakkam: first criticality attained 6 April 2026, built by BHAVINI
- SHANTI Act, 2025: effective 21 December 2025, repeals the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and CLNDA, 2010