Nuclear energy is central to India's low-carbon energy transition and energy security. Discuss with reference to India's 100 GW-by-2047 target.

Q. Nuclear energy is central to India's low-carbon energy transition and energy security. Discuss with reference to India's 100 GW-by-2047 target. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Nuclear power offers firm, near-zero-carbon baseload electricity — a capability solar and wind cannot supply alone. The Nuclear Energy Mission, announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, targets 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, making the atom the reliable spine of India's Viksit Bharat and net-zero-by-2070 pathway [1].

Pillar of the low-carbon transition - Baseload complement: nuclear runs at high plant load factors, stabilising a grid increasingly dominated by variable renewables, and displacing coal generation directly. - Scale-up pathway: installed capacity is to rise from about 8,180 MW to 22,480 MW by 2031-32, with ten reactors under construction across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh [1]. - Small Modular Reactors: a ₹20,000 crore outlay aims at at least five indigenously designed SMRs by 2033, enabling siting at retiring thermal stations and decarbonising hard-to-abate industry [1].

Pillar of energy security - Substitutes imported fossil fuels with a high-energy-density source, insulating the economy from oil and coal price shocks. - Fuel self-reliance through the three-stage programme: the 500 MWe PFBR at Kalpakkam attained first criticality on 6 April 2026, taking India into the second stage and opening the route to using its vast thorium reserves [3]. - Indigenous design and manufacturing of PHWR units sustains a domestic supply chain rather than import dependence.

Constraints and the enabling reform - The target implies more than a twelvefold expansion in two decades — demanding capital, land, and execution capacity beyond public-sector balance sheets. - The SHANTI Act, 2025 permits private participation in nuclear facilities under central licensing, retains sovereign control over the fuel cycle, waste and security, and provides graded liability of ₹100–3,000 crore, addressing the investment bottleneck [2][4]. - Public acceptance, uranium feedstock and regulatory bandwidth remain live challenges.

Nuclear energy thus sits at the intersection of climate commitment and strategic autonomy. Realising 100 GW requires that liberalisation be matched by strengthened AERB capacity, transparent siting and continued indigenous R&D — converting the SHANTI framework into a credible public-private nuclear ecosystem consistent with India's Panchamrit pledges.

(~330 words)

Sources: 1. Nuclear Power in Union Budget 2025-26 — PIB, Department of Atomic Energy — 100 GW by 2047 target, 8,180 MW to 22,480 MW by 2031-32, ten reactors under construction, ₹20,000 crore SMR outlay and five SMRs by 2033 2. The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025 — PIB — private participation under central licence, sovereign control over fuel cycle/waste/security, graded liability of ₹100–3,000 crore 3. Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu attains First Criticality — PIB — 500 MWe PFBR first criticality on 6 April 2026; entry into stage two of the three-stage programme 4. Workshop on SHANTI Act, 2025: Enabling India's 100 GW Nuclear Power Roadmap through Public–Private Partnership — PIB — SHANTI Act as the enabling framework for public-private investment toward the 100 GW roadmap and 2070 decarbonisation goal