India’s ambitious plan to increase its nuclear capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2047 is challenged by fuel security concerns and regulatory reforms, as the country seeks to diversify supplies and open the sector to private investment.
India’s plan to lift nuclear power capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2047 is becoming one of the most ambitious parts of its long-term energy strategy, but the fuel challenge may prove as important as the reactor build-out itself. According to industry and policy summaries, the country’s installed nuclear capacity stands at 8.8GW, and officials want a far larger fleet to support the shift towards cleaner electricity and help meet net-zero goals.
The latest roadmap discussed by Indian authorities points to a mixed fleet of pressurised heavy water reactors, pressurised water reactors, fast breeder reactors and small modular reactors. The scale of the target is substantial: one estimate puts the required investment at about Rs20 lakh crore, while annual uranium demand could rise sharply as new plants come on stream. That has sharpened concern about fuel security, especially because domestic uranium output still covers only a fraction of current requirements.
That dependence leaves India exposed to overseas supply risks. Uranium imports are understood to be concentrated among a small group of suppliers, including Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Canada, raising questions about resilience if trade flows are disrupted. To reduce that vulnerability, officials are examining longer-term fuel contracts, broader supplier diversification and possible overseas asset purchases involving state-linked companies.
At the same time, the government is trying to push the sector beyond its old public-only model. Reports on the Nuclear Energy Mission say an inter-ministerial committee is working on reforms covering finance, safety, fuel handling and private participation, while the SHANTI Act of 2025 is intended to ease liability rules and open the door to more foreign and private capital. Thorium remains a longer-term promise rather than an immediate fix, even though India’s reserves are large and recent technical progress, including the first criticality of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, has added momentum to the programme.
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