India Requires Regulatory Overhaul and Workforce Development for Nuclear Expansion, Officials Say

India must revise its green financing rules and address a shortage of specialized talent to reach its target of 100 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2047. The sector, opened to private companies last year, requires an estimated $210 billion in investments.

India needs to review certain financing rules and develop a stronger talent pipeline in order to achieve its goal of expanding nuclear power capacity to 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2047, according to officials and industry executives speaking on Wednesday.

India's sovereign green bond framework, green deposit, and financing rules currently do not cover nuclear investments and require review, stated Abhay Karandikar, a member of the government think tank NITI Aayog.

Last year, India opened its tightly controlled nuclear sector to private companies to attract foreign technology and investment. The country expects the industry to require nearly $210 billion of investment to expand capacity from its current level of 8.8 GW.

Speaking at the PowerGen India event in New Delhi, Karandikar noted that global financial institutions, including the World Bank, have started reviews to support investments into nuclear projects.

However, industry executives highlighted that a shortage of specialized education and training remains a major concern, adding that the country's clean energy industry is already facing a talent crunch.

"There is a lack of nuclear courses in India, starting from schools to top universities, barring a few premier institutes," said Kalirajan S, managing director of EDF Nuclear Projects India Pvt.

France's EDF has been conducting certification programmes with vendors in India and plans to expand them further to help develop a local nuclear supply chain, according to Kalirajan S.

To address workforce challenges, NITI Aayog has formed a committee to examine how India can expand its nuclear expertise at all levels, ranging from technicians to research and development, Karandikar said.

"Opening the nuclear sector to private companies is a vital step toward meeting India's long-term energy demands. However, as industry leaders have pointed out, capital deployment alone is not enough. Aligning green finance frameworks to include nuclear investments and building a robust talent pipeline through structured educational and certification programmes are critical prerequisites. For the private sector and foreign investors looking at this $210 billion opportunity, policy clarity on financing and human capital development will be the key indicators of execution success." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes