Indian Utilities Turn to Indigenous Nuclear Reactors to Avoid Delays

India’s leading utilities are shifting their focus toward locally-designed large nuclear reactors to fast-track projects in a sector that has historically faced persistent delays and cost overruns. Companies including the Adani Group, Jindal Steel Ltd., and state-run NTPC Ltd. intend to deploy Indian-made pressurised heavy water reactors to speed up regulatory approvals and leverage an established domestic supply chain.

"In India we have the advantage of a 700 megawatt design that’s already standardised and operational," said Vivek Sharma, business head at Adani Atomic Energy, speaking at the BNEF Summit in New Delhi. He emphasized that the supply chain underpinning this technology is fully domestic.

The strategic shift follows the government's decision last year to open the nuclear sector to private firms, supporting a national goal to expand atomic generation capacity eleven-fold to 100 gigawatts by 2047. Currently, the atomic sector supplies approximately 3% of India’s electricity. Earlier this month, the Department of Atomic Energy issued draft rules for private companies to construct nuclear plants, ending decades of exclusivity by the state-owned Nuclear Power Corp., which currently operates India’s entire 8.8 gigawatts of atomic capacity.

Industry leaders highlight that construction delays severely impact project viability. Naveen Ahlawat, president and head of decarbonization at Jindal Steel Ltd., noted that delays increase costs and drive up the price of electricity. Jindal Steel's initial pair of reactors will likely be 700-megawatt domestic units, though the company continues to explore other technologies from partners such as Russia’s Rosatom and Electricite de France. Jindal Steel maintains a target to build 18 gigawatts of atomic capacity by 2047.

Locally-designed reactors are similarly central to NTPC’s strategy as the company targets 30 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2047 to decarbonize its coal-heavy fleet. The company’s first project, undertaken through a joint venture with the Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd., utilizes four indigenous units. K. Shanmugha Sundaram, Director Projects at NTPC, stated at the conference that almost 80 percent of the company’s planned capacity will utilize large pressurised water and heavy water reactors, adding that Indian heavy water technology is currently the most cost-effective option.

National policy is actively backing the expansion. In his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that India aims to commence operations at five reactors within six to seven years. Private sector participation is scaling up, with billionaire Gautam Adani announcing plans for 10 gigawatts of nuclear capacity, and Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd. signing a preliminary agreement to invest 2 trillion rupees in atomic projects in Maharashtra.

"The opening of India's nuclear sector to private utilities marks a critical turning point for the country's energy infrastructure. By opting for standardized, locally-designed 700-megawatt reactors, companies like Adani, Jindal Steel, and NTPC are effectively mitigating regulatory bottlenecks and supply chain vulnerabilities. This pragmatic approach not only controls capital expenditures and avoids historical cost overruns, but it also creates substantial opportunities for domestic manufacturing and engineering services as India works toward its ambitious 2047 decarbonization targets." — Dr. Shishir Gupta, Founder & CEO, StartupLanes