India to Increase the Share of Nuclear Power in its Total Energy Mix

The energy crisis has led the countries to take notice of their energy infrastructure. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the global energy supply chain has gone haywire. Several western countries have imposed sanctions on Russia and the country retaliated by threatening to cut oil and gas supplies to the UK. The UK solely relies upon Russia for its energy needs and this warning came as a massive blow to the European countries especially as winters are coming.  This has led to a renewed interest of countries, especially across the UK and Asia, in reviving and rebuilding their nuclear power plants.

Nuclear power generation closely constitutes ~3% of India’s total energy mix. The country operates 22 nuclear reactors with a capacity of ~6,800 MW. However, India is planning to construct 10 nuclear power plants in fleet mode, beginning in 2023. These plants are situated in Rajasthan, Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh. Under the fleet mode, the construction is expected to be completed in five years from the first pour of concrete. The first pour of concrete is scheduled for the next year at the Kaiga atomic power station, Karnataka, followed by Rajasthan (in 2024) and Madhya Pradesh (in 2025). This will mark the beginning of the construction of 10 ‘fleet mode’ nuclear reactors. This plan was approved back in 2017 by the Centre with an aim to lower costs and fasten the construction time. It will bolster the nuclear power capacity to 22,480 MW by 2031 in India.

The country is targeting to reduce power generation from close to ~80 coal-fired plants in the next four years. Also, read Will India revive its faltering nuclear energy expansion plans?

Nuclear power plants have faced a heavy public backlash in the past. Nuclear Energy has become a hugely controversial topic after the Fukushima incident in Japan where a nuclear disaster took place because of the earthquake and tsunami. However, Nuclear electricity does not produce any GHG emissions or cause air pollution from the combustion of fossil fuels, unlike coal, oil, or gas. This makes them very attractive as a source of cheap, non-carbon dioxide-producing electricity. Nuclear energy is an emission-free energy source because it does not burn anything to produce electricity. Read more about the benefits of Nuclear Energy for the World Environment.