India to Triple Nuclear Capacity, Renewables Still Lead

India is preparing to nearly triple its nuclear power capacity over the next decade , even as solar, wind and other renewables continue to expand at a far faster pace. The contrast highlights New Delhi’s evolving energy strategy: renewables for scale, nuclear as a long-term hedge for reliability and energy security .

From around 3 GW in the early 2000s , India’s installed nuclear capacity has risen to about 8.8 GW today , spread across 24 reactors in commercial operation (excluding the long-shut RAPS-1). Much of this growth came after the 2008 India–US civil nuclear deal , which quietly but decisively altered India’s nuclear trajectory.

The deal that unlocked fuel security

The 2008 nuclear agreement is often remembered for the reactors that never quite materialised. Its real impact, however, lay elsewhere. By ending decades of nuclear isolation and securing a waiver from global export controls, the deal ensured access to imported uranium fuel .

Before that, India’s reactors largely indigenous pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) were chronically fuel-starved , forcing them to operate well below capacity. Post-deal, steady uranium supplies from countries such as Kazakhstan, Russia and Canada allowed reactors to run closer to their potential, stabilising nuclear generation even without a dramatic jump in plant numbers.

As a result, nuclear electricity output rose steadily, alongside capacity additions such as Kakrapar-3 & 4 and Rajasthan-7 , taking installed capacity from about 4–5 GW in the late 2000s to nearly 8.8 GW today .

India’s nuclear backbone

Most of India’s nuclear fleet still consists of PHWRs , which run on natural uranium and do not require enrichment. A critical but rarely discussed link in this system is the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) in Hyderabad , which converts uranium into fuel pellets and bundles for these reactors. NFC underpins both fuel security and operational autonomy, ensuring that imported uranium feeds civilian power plants without dependence on foreign enrichment services.

The main foreign-technology exception is Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu , where Russian-designed 1,000-MW VVER reactors are in operation. These units use imported, enriched fuel assemblies , supplied as part of a long-term package.

New plants, but patience required

Two large greenfield nuclear projects continue to define the future map:

• Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh , planned as a multi-unit nuclear park, and

• Jaitapur in Maharashtra , envisaged as one of the world’s largest nuclear power complexes.

Both projects remain works in progress , with land acquisition, regulatory clearances and financing still unfolding. Realistically, they are mid-2030s propositions , not near-term capacity additions.

In parallel, the government is exploring an idea that could reshape siting debates: repurposing old thermal power plant sites as coal units retire for nuclear facilities, reusing land, grid connections and cooling infrastructure.

SHANTI Bill: resetting the rules

A major recent inflection point is the SHANTI Bill , passed in December 2025 , which overhauls India’s nuclear legal framework. The legislation modernises regulation, gives statutory backing to the nuclear safety regulator , revises the liability framework, and opens the door carefully to greater private participation in nuclear power generation, while the state retains control over sensitive fuel-cycle and security functions.

For a sector long constrained by legacy laws, SHANTI is intended to unlock capital, speed execution and strengthen safety oversight , especially as India looks beyond government-only models.

Nuclear in a renewable-dominated future

The broader energy context is changing even faster. India’s installed power capacity is now around 500 GW , and the country has already achieved a major milestone: 50% of this capacity comes from non-fossil sources , five years ahead of its global commitment.

Looking ahead to 2034–35 , official projections show total installed capacity doubling to about 1,029 GW . Of this, only around 30% is expected to be fossil-based , with the rest coming from renewables, nuclear, hydro and storage. Nuclear’s share— about 22 GW —will remain modest in capacity terms, dwarfed by hundreds of gigawatts of solar and wind.

Yet capacity numbers tell only part of the story. Unlike renewables, nuclear power provides round-the-clock, low-carbon baseload , unaffected by weather or storage constraints. As electricity demand rises sharply and grid stability becomes a priority, policymakers increasingly view nuclear as a strategic hedge , complementing renewables rather than competing with them.

A quiet but strategic role

India’s nuclear journey since 2008 has been less about dramatic expansion and more about fuel security, reliability and long-term optionality . With SHANTI resetting the rules, new sites on the horizon, and thermal plants nearing retirement, nuclear power is set to grow steadily even if it remains overshadowed by the renewable surge.

In India’s energy transition, renewables may dominate the headlines , but nuclear continues to occupy a quiet, consequential place in the country’s long-term power strategy.