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‘India to have nine nuclear reactors by 2024’: Govt informs Rajya Sabha
India is counting on its nuclear program to help meet its Paris climate commitments to reduce the emissions intensity of its economy by a third from 2005 levels by 2030.
India will have nine nuclear reactors by the year 2024. This Minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions Jitendra Singh said this in the Rajya Sabha today on behalf of the Centre.
He also said that a new nuclear project, the first in northern India, will come up 150 kilometres away from Delhi, in Haryana's Gorakhpur.
"By 2024 you will have nine nuclear reactors plus 12 new additional ones which were approved during the Covid times with a capacity of 9000 MW. Five new sites are also being identified in different parts of the country," the minister said.
He was replying to the supplementary questions during the Question Hour.
Asked whether the government is thinking of phasing out nuclear power plants on account of safety, the minister said, "We have not only increased the number but are also trying to make a pan-India generation project."
The minister said that nuclear energy will soon emerge as one of the most important sources of alternative or clean energy for the increasing power demand of the country.
Singh said it was during the tenure of this government that a bulk approval of 10 indigenous reactors was done in a single cabinet decision, which is a record in itself and has never happened in the history of independent India.
On the expansion of Kudankulan nuclear plant, the minister said that "hopefully in 2021, we plan to start the construction of unit 5 and unit 6 as well."
India is counting on its nuclear program to help meet its Paris climate commitments to reduce the emissions intensity of its economy by a third from 2005 levels by 2030.
India has 6.8 gigawatts of existing nuclear generation capacity, which accounts for roughly 2 per cent of the nation’s total capacity. Coal-fired generation makes up about 53 per cent of India’s installed base, although its share has been declining in favour of cleaner generation and renewable power.
