UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — PARLIAMENT QUESTION: POWER PRODUCTION FROM NUCLEAR ENERGY

Q1. As per the Department of Atomic Energy, India's installed nuclear capacity of 8,780 MW is counted from 24 reactors and excludes exactly one reactor that is under long-term (extended) shutdown. Which one of the following is that single excluded reactor?

  • A. Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit-1 (RAPS-1)
  • B. Tarapur Atomic Power Station Unit-1 (TAPS-1)
  • C. Madras Atomic Power Station Unit-1 (MAPS-1)
  • D. Kaiga Atomic Power Station Unit-1

Q2. How many nuclear power reactors are counted as making up India's present installed nuclear power capacity of 8,780 MW (excluding the reactor under extended shutdown)?

  • A. 20
  • B. 22
  • C. 24
  • D. 26

Q3. In the context of the Nuclear Energy Mission, a 'Small Modular Reactor (SMR)' is generally understood to be a reactor with a power capacity in which one of the following ranges?

  • A. Less than 30 MW
  • B. About 30 to 300 MW
  • C. About 300 to 700 MW
  • D. Above 700 MW

Q4. The Nuclear Energy Mission, carrying an outlay of ₹20,000 crore for research and development of Small Modular Reactors, was announced under which one of the following?

  • A. Union Budget 2024-25
  • B. Union Budget 2025-26
  • C. National Electricity Plan 2022-32
  • D. The SHANTI Act, 2025

Q5. In the Government's stated goal of raising nuclear power capacity 'from 7,480 MW to 22,480 MW by 2031-32', the figure 7,480 MW denotes which one of the following?

  • A. The installed nuclear capacity at the time the expansion target was announced (base capacity)
  • B. India's present installed nuclear power capacity
  • C. The nuclear capacity currently under construction only
  • D. The additional capacity to be added beyond 2032

Q6. India's installed nuclear power capacity is targeted to be increased to how many MW by 2031-32?

  • A. 8,780 MW
  • B. 22,480 MW
  • C. 54,000 MW
  • D. 100,000 MW

Q7. With reference to the recent initiative to examine retiring thermal power plant sites for nuclear power, consider the following statements: 1. A Sub-Committee under the Standing Site Selection Committee has been constituted to examine retiring thermal power plant sites for nuclear power projects. 2. This Sub-Committee draws upon representatives of bodies such as the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), NPCIL and AERB. 3. The Government has approved a proposal to replace India's entire retiring thermal capacity with nuclear power. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A Sub-Committee under the Standing Site Selection Committee has been constituted to examine retiring thermal power plant sites for nuclear power projects.
  2. This Sub-Committee draws upon representatives of bodies such as the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), NPCIL and AERB.
  3. The Government has approved a proposal to replace India's entire retiring thermal capacity with nuclear power.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q8. In Homi Bhabha's three-stage nuclear power programme, the second stage is characterised by which one of the following?

  • A. Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors using natural uranium
  • B. Fast Breeder Reactors generating and using plutonium from spent fuel
  • C. Thorium-based reactors using Uranium-233
  • D. Boiling Water Reactors using enriched uranium

Q9. When the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) was established in 1954, it was placed under the direct charge of which one of the following?

  • A. The President of India
  • B. The Prime Minister
  • C. The Ministry of Power
  • D. The Ministry of Science and Technology

Q10. With reference to the framework of India's civil nuclear cooperation, consider the following pairings: 1. 123 Agreement — signed between India and the United States in 2008 2. NSG waiver — granted in 2008, enabling India's civil nuclear commerce 3. Right of recourse against the supplier — provided under Section 17 of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 4. Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 — enacted by the Congress of the United States Which of the above is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. 123 Agreement — signed between India and the United States in 2008
  2. NSG waiver — granted in 2008, enabling India's civil nuclear commerce
  3. Right of recourse against the supplier — provided under Section 17 of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010
  4. Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 — enacted by the Congress of the United States
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 3 and 4
  • C. 2 only
  • D. 1 and 4

Q11. With reference to India's electricity demand and the place of nuclear power in it, consider the following statements: 1. India's peak electricity demand is projected to reach about 446 GW by around 2034-35. 2. In 2024-25, nuclear power accounted for about 3% of India's total electricity generation. 3. Nuclear power currently accounts for about one-fifth of India's total installed electricity capacity. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. India's peak electricity demand is projected to reach about 446 GW by around 2034-35.
  2. In 2024-25, nuclear power accounted for about 3% of India's total electricity generation.
  3. Nuclear power currently accounts for about one-fifth of India's total installed electricity capacity.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3