India Plans Five Small Modular Reactors by 2033

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Key takeaways

India plans to operationalize at least 5 indigenous Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) by 2033 under its Nuclear Energy Mission.
This initiative supports India's broader target of scaling total nuclear power capacity to 100 GWe by 2047.
Private sector participation in nuclear technology is enabled under the newly enacted SHANTI Act, 2025.
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is developing three indigenous designs including BSMR-200, SMR-55, and an HTGCR for hydrogen production.

The Government of India informed the Lok Sabha that it will operationalize at least 5 indigenous Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) by 2033 under its Nuclear Energy Mission.
This project supports India's long-term plan to expand its total nuclear power capacity to 100 GWe by 2047.

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors designed with lower electrical output than traditional gigawatt-scale plants.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) defines an SMR as having an individual output of up to 300 MWe per unit.
Global SMR designs are monitored by the IAEA and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA).
In India, the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) serves as the lead developer.
Private sector participation in nuclear technology manufacturing and deployment is enabled under the SHANTI Act, 2025.
The main objective is to deliver clean baseload power and industrial heat with reduced upfront costs, faster timelines, and a smaller land footprint.

SMRs split heavy atomic nuclei such as Uranium-235 in a controlled fission reaction to produce heat energy.
Reactor components are fabricated in central factories and shipped directly to the site for rapid assembly rather than undergoing decade-long civil construction.
The generated thermal heat creates steam to drive turbines for electricity or supplies high-temperature heat directly to industries.

SMRs generate between 20 MWe and 300 MWe, requiring much less land area and lower cooling water volume than 1,000 MWe plants.
Passive safety systems use natural laws of physics to cool the core automatically without needing active electric power or human intervention.
Power companies can add reactor modules sequentially as regional demand grows over time.
BARC is developing three indigenous models: the 220 MWe BSMR-200 Pressurized Water Reactor, the compact 55 MWe SMR-55, and an HTGCR up to 5 MW for green hydrogen production.
Factory serial manufacturing cuts construction delays, lowers financing costs, and reduces site engineering risks.