New Delhi, Feb 1 (PTI) Ushering in reforms, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday proposed to open up the nuclear power sector for private players and announced a Rs 20,000 crore Nuclear Energy Mission for research in the field, with an aim to set up five small and modular reactors by 2033.

Presenting the Union Budget for 2025-26, Sitharaman said producing at least 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047 was essential for India's energy transition efforts.

"For an active partnership with the private sector towards this goal, amendments to the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act will be taken up," she said.

"A Nuclear Energy Mission for research and development of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) with an outlay of Rs 20,000 crore will be set up. At least five indigenously-developed SMRs will be operationalised by 2033," Sitharaman said.

India currently produces 8.1 GW of nuclear power through 24 atomic power plants across the country and hopes to increase it to 20 GW by 2032.

The state-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is the operator of nuclear power plants in the country.

The Atomic Energy Act does not allow participation of private sector investment in the nuclear industry.

The NPCIL has started joint venture companies with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and the Indian Oil Corporation to build nuclear power plants.

"In terms of reforms, many important steps have been taken in this budget. Encouraging the private sector in nuclear energy is historic. It will ensure a big contribution of civil nuclear energy in the development of the country," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his remarks on the Union Budget.

Former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar welcomed the announcement to launch the Nuclear Energy Mission, saying such a focussed approach was required to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat.

Kakodkar, who played a key role in negotiating the civil nuclear deal with the US, said 100 GW of nuclear power generation by 2047 was required for India to achieve its declared goal of net-zero emission.

He said NTPC could drive the SMR mission as it hosted the maximum coal-fired power plants, which would have to be retired in the near future.

Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh had told Parliament last year that India's long-term low greenhouse gas emission development strategy recognised a significantly greater role of nuclear energy in achieving the net-zero target.

"Nuclear energy has a vital role in the country's energy transition to net zero as it is a base-load source of clean electricity, available 24X7," he had said.

Singh, who is also in charge of the Department of Atomic Energy and the Union minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office, added that the nuclear sector also had huge potential to provide the country long-term energy security in a sustainable manner.

"In this regard, a nuclear power expansion programme is being implemented to increase the installed nuclear power capacity to 22,480 MW by 2031-32 from 8,180 MW at present," he had said.

Last year, NPCIL invited proposals from the private sector to set up 220 MW Bharat Small Reactors to replace coal-fired captive power plants in the energy-guzzling steel, aluminium, copper and cement industries.

SMRs refer to a newly-developed and upcoming class of land-based nuclear fission reactors, which can be built and fabricated in specialised factories and be assembled on site.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, there are more than 80 SMR designs and concepts globally. Most of them are in various developmental stages and some are claimed as being near-term deployable.

There are currently four SMRs in advanced stages of construction in Argentina, China and Russia, and several existing and newcomer nuclear energy countries are conducting SMR research and development. PTI SKU MSS RR KKS RAM SKU SZM SZM