New Energy Frontiers
India's Nuclear Power Programme
How India's three-stage nuclear plan aims to use its large thorium reserves, how much nuclear power India generates today, and its expansion targets.
India has pursued nuclear power since the 1950s.
Homi Bhabha’s three stages
Physicist Homi Bhabha designed a three-stage programme:
- Pressurised heavy water reactors using natural uranium.
- Fast breeder reactors using plutonium from stage one.
- Thorium-based reactors.
Why thorium
India has limited uranium but among the world’s largest thorium reserves, especially in Kerala’s beach sands.
Today
- Nuclear provides only around 3 percent of India’s electricity.
- Installed capacity is around 8 GW.
- The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam began core loading in 2024, a key stage-two milestone after long delays.
Targets
In 2025, the government set a goal of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 and announced a Nuclear Energy Mission with 20,000 crore rupees for small modular reactors.
Fuel supply
After the 2008 India-US civil nuclear deal and Nuclear Suppliers Group waiver, India could import uranium from countries like Kazakhstan, Canada and Russia.
Beach sands in Kerala contain monazite rich in thorium. If stage three succeeds, this could fuel India's reactors for centuries.
It provides only around 3 percent of electricity today.
- Bhabha's three-stage plan aims to use thorium.
- Nuclear provides about 3 percent of India's electricity.
- The fast breeder reactor began core loading in 2024.
- India targets 100 GW of nuclear by 2047.
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