Private Companies to Add 30 GW of Nuclear Power by 2047: What the SHANTI Act Opens Up
The Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) said private companies are expected to invest about ₹7.5 lakh crore in nuclear power and add about 30 GW of capacity by 2047.
This 30 GW is part of India's national target of 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047. Today India has about 9 GW, produced by 24 reactors run by the government company NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd). Another 17 reactors (about 13 GW) are being built.
Private entry became possible after the SHANTI Act was passed in December 2025. The AEC chief expects a couple of private companies to be running reactors within about five years.
He gave a rough cost of ₹25 crore per megawatt (MW). A nuclear plant usually takes five to seven years to build.
India is also looking at Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to give steady, clean power to energy-hungry industries like steel and cement.
He recalled India's three-stage nuclear programme. The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam reached first criticality in April 2026, which means India has entered the second stage. India has signed civil nuclear cooperation agreements with 18 countries.
SHANTI Act, 2025: Opening India's Nuclear Power Sector
The SHANTI Act, 2025 is India's new main law for nuclear energy. SHANTI stands for Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India. It replaced two older laws, the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, with one single framework. Its biggest change is that companies other than the government can now build and run nuclear power plants.
The AEC chief's estimate of ₹7.5 lakh crore of private investment and 30 GW of private capacity is possible only because the SHANTI Act ended the government's monopoly over nuclear power. Before December 2025, only government companies like NPCIL could run nuclear plants.
India's Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme
India's Three-Stage Nuclear Power Programme is a long-term plan to make India self-reliant in nuclear power. India has very little uranium, the usual nuclear fuel, but it has some of the largest thorium reserves in the world. Thorium cannot be used directly as a fuel, so the plan moves in three steps that slowly turn thorium into usable fuel. The plan was drawn up by Homi J. Bhabha in the 1950s.
While talking about private investment, the AEC chief stressed that the three-stage plan is still the backbone of India's nuclear policy. The PFBR's criticality in April 2026 moved India into Stage 2, the step that will eventually unlock its large thorium reserves.
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)
A small modular reactor, or SMR, is a nuclear reactor that is much smaller than a normal nuclear power plant. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) calls a reactor "small" if it produces up to about 300 MWe of electricity per unit. "Modular" means its main parts are built in a factory and taken to the site, like assembling ready-made blocks. This can make building faster and cheaper, and the plant can be placed close to the place that needs the power.
The AEC chief said India is exploring SMRs alongside large plants, mainly to give industries like steel and cement a steady, low-carbon power supply. With private entry now allowed, SMRs are one of the likely routes for companies to enter the sector.
- Private investment expected in nuclear power: about ₹7.5 lakh crore; private capacity target: about 30 GW by 2047
- National nuclear target: 100 GW by 2047
- Current installed capacity: about 9 GW from 24 reactors (all run by NPCIL)
- Under construction: 17 reactors, about 13 GW
- Approximate building cost: ₹25 crore per MW; building time: 5 to 7 years
- SHANTI Act enacted: December 2025
- PFBR (500 MWe, Kalpakkam) first criticality: 6 April 2026
- India's commercial nuclear power began in 1969 (Tarapur)
- Civil nuclear cooperation agreements signed with 18 countries
- Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu) runs on Russian reactor technology