India working on 10 new nuclear reactors, targets tenfold capacity rise by 2047: PM Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said India is rapidly working on 10 new nuclear reactors and has set a target to increase the country’s nuclear energy capacity tenfold by 2047.In his Independence Day address from the Red Fort, Modi said the government is taking major initiatives in the nuclear sector to meet the country’s future energy requirements. “Work is progressing rapidly on 10 new nuclear reactors and, by 2047, we have pledged to increase our nuclear energy capacity tenfold... We are bringing major reforms in the nuclear energy sector,” he said.The prime minister said the country remains dependent on other nations for petrol, diesel and gas, and spends billions of rupees on imports. He stressed the need to make India self-reliant in the energy sector.Highlighting the growth in renewables, Modi said solar energy capacity has risen 30 times in the past 11 years. He also mentioned efforts to build new dams for hydropower expansion and investments worth thousands of crores in the Hydrogen Mission.Modi said the nuclear energy sector has been opened to private participation. According to government sources, India plans to end the state monopoly over uranium mining, imports and processing, while retaining control over reprocessing of spent uranium and management of plutonium waste.
The government aims to attract investment and allow foreign players to take minority stakes in nuclear power plants. If the 2047 target is met, nuclear power is expected to contribute about 5 per cent of the country’s total electricity supply, according to official estimates.
