UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — PARLIAMENT QUESTION: NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS

Q1. With reference to India's operational nuclear power fleet as reported to Parliament, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. India's present installed nuclear power capacity is 8,780 MW across 24 reactors, excluding RAPS-1.
  2. The commercial nuclear power reactors are operated by NPCIL under the Department of Atomic Energy.
  3. Only four of the 24 reactors are currently in project mode for refurbishment/upgradation, while the remaining 20 are operational.
  4. The 100 MW RAPS-1 unit is included within the stated 8,780 MW installed capacity figure.
  • A. 3 only
  • B. 4 only
  • C. 3 and 4
  • D. 1 and 2

Q2. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), which administers India's civil nuclear power programme through NPCIL, functions directly under which one of the following?

  • A. The Prime Minister
  • B. The Ministry of Power
  • C. The Ministry of Science and Technology
  • D. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy

Q3. With reference to the roadmap under the Nuclear Energy Mission, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Mission targets a nuclear power capacity of 100 GW by 2047.
  2. The present capacity is expected to rise to about 22 GW by 2031-32.
  3. Capacity additions by NPCIL are envisaged to take the total to about 54 GW by 2047.
  4. The entire 100 GW target is to be set up exclusively by NPCIL.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. Under the Nuclear Energy Mission announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, at least how many indigenously developed Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are targeted to be operationalised by 2033?

  • A. 3
  • B. 5
  • C. 10
  • D. 20

Q5. Among the indigenous Small Modular Reactor designs proposed under the Nuclear Energy Mission, which one is in the most advanced stage of obtaining financial and administrative sanction, to be constructed at the DAE site at Tarapur?

  • A. BSMR-200
  • B. SMR-55
  • C. High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR)
  • D. Bharat Small Reactor (BSR)

Q6. With reference to how the successive stages of India's three-stage nuclear programme differ from one another, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Stage I uses natural uranium in Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, whereas Stage II uses plutonium-based fuel in Fast Breeder Reactors.
  2. Unlike Stage I reactors, the Stage II Fast Breeder Reactors consume more fissile material than they produce.
  3. Stage III, unlike the earlier stages, is designed to exploit India's thorium reserves using U-233.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q7. With reference to the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. It attained its first criticality in 2024.
  2. It is built and operated by BHAVINI at Kalpakkam.
  3. It is a 500 MWe reactor.
  4. With it, India becomes the second country after Russia to operate a commercial fast breeder reactor.
  • A. 2, 3 and 4
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 1 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q8. Consider the following pairs of nuclear reactor units and their reactor types. Which of the pairs is/are NOT correctly matched?

  1. Tarapur Units 1 & 2 — Boiling Water Reactors (BWR)
  2. Kudankulam Units 1 & 2 — VVER Light Water Reactors
  3. Kakrapar Units 3 & 4 — indigenous 700 MW Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors
  4. Tarapur Units 3 & 4 — VVER Light Water Reactors
  • A. 4 only
  • B. 2 and 4
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 1 and 3

Q9. India's first reactors to generate nuclear electricity, commissioned at Tarapur in October 1969, were built by which one of the following?

  • A. General Electric, USA
  • B. Rosatom, Russia
  • C. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
  • D. Westinghouse, USA

Q10. With reference to the legal and institutional framework governing atomic energy in India, consider the following statements. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. The Atomic Energy Act, 1962 provides the statutory basis for regulating atomic energy.
  2. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) is the nuclear safety regulator.
  3. The SHANTI Act, notified in December 2025, is a single legislation with enabling provisions for private sector participation.
  4. Atomic energy is exclusively a State subject under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2, 3 and 4
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q11. In the context of RAPP-7 achieving the milestone reported in September 2024, the term 'first criticality' of a nuclear reactor refers to which one of the following?

  • A. The achievement of the first self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction in the reactor
  • B. The reactor's first synchronisation with the electricity grid
  • C. The reactor reaching its full rated power output for the first time
  • D. The commencement of commercial electricity generation by the reactor