Minister updates parliament on Indian SMR project

Wednesday, 12 March 2025

Singh provided information on the status of the Department of Atomic Energy's (DAE) Bharat small modular reactor (SMR) offering in a written answer to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, providing information on the 200 MW version - the BSMR-200 - and a 55 MW version.

The BSMR-200 pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) will use slightly enriched uranium fuel, Singh said, adding that the "majority of equipment are within the capability of Indian industries" - India has built 220 MWe PHWRs since the 1980s, and is now constructing a fleet of indigenously designed 700 MWe PHWRs.

The reactor is being designed and developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to provide "captive" power generation for energy intensive industries such as steel, aluminium and cement; for repurposing retiring thermal power plants; and to provide electricity to remote locations without grid connectivity, Singh said.

"The lead unit will be located at a DAE site. The subsequent units are to be located at the sites of the end-user industry in case of captive power plants and at brownfields sites of retiring thermal power plants," he said.

"Manufacturing and delivery of equipment and components will be carried out through various indigenous nuclear vendors developed by DAE. Development of critical items such as low alloy steel forgings required for manufacturing the reactor pressure vessel and reactivity control drive mechanisms have been realised by the domestic private vendors. Development works for other critical items such as reactor coolant pumps have been initiated with the private vendors. All major development works will be completed in the pre-project phase. The concept design of BSMR has been completed and is in approval stage. Estimated time for construction of BSMR is 60 to 72 months after receipt of project sanction."

The BSMR will have passive safety features as well as "several engineered safety systems to ensure nuclear safety during accidents", Singh said. Used fuel will be handled and stored in-situ, in line with India's broad philosophy to recover "useful radioisotopes" by reprocessing, with remaining waste vitrified and stored in engineered facilities in line with internationally accepted practices. "However, in the case of SMRs the reprocessing technology is to be re-engineered based on the fuel configuration," he said.

The 2025 budget includes an allocation of INR20,000 crore (around USD2.5 billion) for the design and deployment of SMRs, Singh noted (1 crore is 10 million).

Deployment plans

A 55 MWe SMR - targeted at deployment in remote locations - is also being developed, Singh said, with the lead twin units to be "set up in a DAE site by 2033".

"Depending on the projected demand, BSMR-200 also can be deployed for such purposes. Both these plants are designed to operate in isolated mode not connected to the grid," he said. 

India's Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman announced in the 2024 budget the government's intention to research and develop the Bharat Small Modular Reactor. In this year's budget - announced in February - she promised federal funds to develop at least five Indian-designed SMRs to be operational by 2033, as well as amendments to Indian legislation to encourage private sector participation, as part of plans to develop at least 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047.

Earlier this year, NPCIL issued a Request for Proposals from 'visionary Indian industries' to finance and build a proposed fleet of 220 MW Bharat Small Reactors. Tata Power and the Naveen Jindal Group have already expressed interest in setting up small modular reactors, and  in February, Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw told the Rajya Sabha - the upper house of the Indian parliament - that nuclear power is under consideration to meet the growing power needs of the country's rail sector.