2 hrs ago
BARC Partners Industry for Rs 9,000-Crore Modular Reactor Plan
India is designing a smaller kind of nuclear power reactor called the Bharat Small Modular Reactor.
The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, or BARC, is speaking with large companies about helping build and sell it.
The planned reactor could produce 300 megawatts of electricity.
One reactor could cost about Rs 9,000 crore at the intended price.
The companies may join a new organisation that would own the reactor’s technology.
No company has formally committed money yet.
Small reactors could be useful for factories and places with smaller electricity networks.
Experts caution that making many reactors cheaply and reliably will still be difficult.
The plan is part of India’s goal to reach 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047.
BARC is discussing investment and commercialisation of its indigenous 300-MW Bharat Small Modular Reactor.
NTPC, Reliance Industries, Adani Group and Larsen & Toubro are among the companies approached.
The proposed reactor has an indicative project cost of Rs 9,000 crore, based on Rs 30 crore per MW.
A special purpose vehicle may hold the reactor’s intellectual property, but ownership and investment commitments remain undecided.
The initiative supports India’s target of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, although manufacturing costs and scale remain challenges.
- Who
- The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is discussing the project with NTPC, Reliance Industries, Adani Group and Larsen & Toubro.
- What
- A proposed industry-backed special purpose vehicle would help commercialise the 300-MW Bharat Small Modular Reactor and hold its intellectual property.
- Where
- The project is being developed in India.
- When
- Discussions are preliminary, with a request for proposal expected soon; BARC and NPCIL released the reactor’s detailed project report on August 14.
- Why
- The initiative aims to bring private capital into nuclear technology commercialisation and help India reach 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047.
Commercialisation Supporters
Cautionary View
Private-sector participation
Commercialisation Supporters
Supporters say private investment and an intellectual-property-holding special purpose vehicle could accelerate deployment of domestically developed reactors.
Cautionary View
The ownership structure and investment commitments have not been finalised, and formal proposals have not yet been issued.
Cost and affordability
Commercialisation Supporters
The BSMR-300 has a targeted capital cost of Rs 30 crore per MW and could offer phased deployment with lower land and resource requirements.
Cautionary View
The initial 55-MW demonstration reactor may cost Rs 80-90 crore per MW, and experts caution that small or modular does not necessarily mean easy or cheap.
Manufacturing readiness
Commercialisation Supporters
Factory production and site assembly could support faster capacity expansion and supply electricity or process heat to industries.
Cautionary View
Commercial-scale manufacturing remains a work in progress globally, and domestic manufacturing must scale before the targeted costs become achievable.
Key facts
- Reactor
- 300-MW Bharat Small Modular Reactor, also called BSMR-300
- Indicative cost
- Rs 30 crore per MW, or about Rs 9,000 crore for one 300-MW unit
- Potential participants
- NTPC, Reliance Industries, Adani Group and Larsen & Toubro
- Proposed structure
- An industry-backed special purpose vehicle may hold the reactor’s intellectual property
- India’s target
- 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047
- Current nuclear capacity
- India has 8.7 GW, mostly from pressurised heavy water reactors
- Related mission
- The Rs 20,000-crore Nuclear Energy Mission targets at least five indigenous SMRs by 2033
Quotes
A person familiar with the programme
Source familiar with the proposed industry-backed special purpose vehicle
“Achieving commercial at-scale manufacturing of SMR units continues to be a work-in-progress, despite several years of efforts by global players”
financialexpress.com
“The 300 MW SMR is planned for commercial operations”
financialexpress.com
Sources
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