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ANINDITO MUKHERJEE
Power generation behemoth NTPC is scouting for land in 16 states, including Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Haryana, for setting up nuclear power plants (NPPs) with up to 1,600 megawatt (MW) capacity.
The country’s largest power generator, which is controlled by the government, will account for one-third of India’s ambitious target of setting up 100 gigawatt (GW) of nuclear power by 2047 (Viksit Bharat).
Sources said that the Maharatna company has set up a subsidiary, NTPC Parmanu Urja Nigam (NPUN), which will set up conventional nuclear power plants of up to 1,200 or 1,600 megawatt (MW), which will include Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) technology.
“Having large plants makes economic sense as NTPC is a bulk power producer and seller. It will decide on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) when the technology is economically ready to scale up,” said one of the sources.
NTPC’s first plant at Mahi Banswada (2.8 GW capacity) is under construction. It is doing site selection in 16 states, which is an important process in nuclear power. These parcels will have to be approved by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). Out of these 16 States, the expectation is that suitable land will be found in 4-5 states as the plant needs to have an exclusive zone of one km, said another source.
The NPUN’s first batch of personnel are already undergoing training at the Power Management Institute (PMI).
On the cost of setting up NPPs, a senior government official said that the current cost is around Rs 15,000-20,000 crore for one GW of nuclear power.
On collaboration with private sector, the same source said that currently there is no avenue for setting up joint ventures (JVs). However, the government will allow private sector participation by amending the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act, 2010. These amendments are expected to place before the Parliament in the upcoming Winter session, which is scheduled for next month.
One of the sources said that NTPC has been working for more than a year to scout for avenues to indigenise certain nuclear power generating technologies.
For instance, NTPC floated a global tender in March 2025 inviting entities for cooperation in indigenising Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) technology and establishing large-capacity (1,000 MW & above) NPPs in India on a concept-to-commissioning basis, subject to Government’s approval.
The target capacity is 15 GW (plus/ minus 10 per cent) and the last date for applying was May 31, 2025.
The tender was open to companies from all countries. For instance, the tender document said “Any vendor, from a country which shares a land border with India, will be eligible to participate only when and if the vendor is registered with the Competent Authority. The Competent Authority for registration is the Registration Committee under Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (‘DPIIT’).”
Presently, India’s installed nuclear power capacity comprises 24 reactors with a total capacity of 8.78 GW. Besides, there are 8 reactors under construction contributing 6.6 GW, which include indigenous 700 MW PHWRs.
Published on November 12, 2025