The Department of Atomic Energy has released a comprehensive backgrounder on India’s nuclear energy programme, covering its safety systems, applications beyond electricity generation, and emergency preparedness framework. The announcement outlines how India is expanding nuclear capacity while maintaining stringent regulatory oversight across all operational facilities.
Key Facts and Figures
India currently operates 24 nuclear power reactors across seven sites with a combined capacity of 8.78 gigawatts. Nine additional reactors are under construction, with preparations underway for ten more units. The Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat aims to reach 100 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2047.
The Union Budget 2025–26 allocated ₹20,000 crore for indigenous Small Modular Reactors. The SHANTI Act, 2025, was enacted to strengthen the regulatory and operational framework for nuclear energy expansion.
In terms of carbon efficiency, one gigawatt of nuclear capacity avoided approximately 5.4 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions in FY 2025–26, significantly higher than hydropower, wind, or solar per unit of installed capacity. Since 1969, India’s nuclear programme has cumulatively prevented 851 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions.
Beyond electricity, nuclear technologies are being deployed across multiple sectors. The Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Muzaffarpur opened in 2025 with 150 beds. The Tata Memorial Centre registered 1.3 lakh patients and screened five lakh women for various cancers during FY 2024–25. Indigenous radiation technologies sterilised 1.53 crore medical devices.
The Department of Atomic Energy released 70 crop varieties through radiation-induced mutagenesis, including TBM-9 banana and RTS-43 sorghum in 2025. Six gamma radiation processing facilities for food preservation were commissioned, bringing the national total to 40 operational facilities. The government signed 17 memoranda of understanding in 2025 to expand food irradiation infrastructure.
India established its first Electronics-grade Boron-11 Enrichment Facility at Talcher for semiconductor applications and inaugurated the world’s first hydrogen production facility using nuclear process heat at Kalpakkam in 2026.
What this means for you
If you work in healthcare, agriculture, or food export sectors, nuclear technologies are being integrated to improve services, crop quality, and product shelf-life. If you are pursuing semiconductor or clean energy research, India’s investment in indigenous nuclear materials and hydrogen production creates new opportunities. For the general public, nuclear plants operate under multiple safety layers with dose limits of 1 millisievert annually, and emergency response systems are in place across all facilities.