A Bold Step Amid an Ambitious Nuclear Energy Target

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3 –Infrastructure ( Energy)

Introduction

A bold step amid an ambitious nuclear energy target reflects India’s effort to align human development goals with long-term energy security. Human development rises with energy use, and India’s aspiration to reach high development levels requires massive, reliable, and clean energy generation. Decarbonisation pressures, limits of renewables, and rising digital and industrial demand make nuclear energy central to India’s future energy strategy.

Why energy matters for development?

1. Energy and development link: In early stages, humans needed energy only for food. With hunting, agriculture, industry, and transport, energy demand expanded steadily.
2. Digital era energy demand: The present phase of development is driven by digital technologies. Digitalisation increases electricity demand across services, industry, and infrastructure.
3. HDI as a yardstick: The Human Development Index combines income, education, and health. Higher HDI levels require higher per capita final energy consumption.
4. HDI–energy correlation: Using the correlation between HDI and final energy consumption, energy needs can be estimated for specific development levels.

India’s Energy Gap and Decarbonisation Challenge

1. High Development Requires Massive Energy Generation:

• To reach an HDI of 0.9, India needs to generate about 24,000 Terra-Watt-Hours (TWh) per annum, a level associated with very high human development.
  • About 60% of this energy will be used as electricity, while the rest will be used to produce hydrogen in electrolysers.
  • Hydrogen is required to decarbonise sectors such as steel, fertilisers, and plastics, although future technologies may reduce electricity needs.

2. Large gap between current and required generation: India generated about 1,950 TWh in 2023–24, with a recent growth rate of ~4.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR). At this pace, reaching 24,000 TWh will take four to five decades, making long-term energy planning essential.
3. Decarbonisation alongside expansion: Electricity generation must expand while carbon emissions decline. This requires end-use electrification and a shift away from a fossil-fuel-heavy energy mix towards cleaner sources.
4. Low role of electricity in energy use: Electricity is only about 22% of India’s final energy consumption today. This share must rise because India has to electrify end uses and also redesign its energy mix away from fossil fuels towards hydro, nuclear, solar, and wind to reduce carbon emissions.

Why Renewables Alone Are Not Enough

1. Physical and geographical limits: India has limited hydro and wind potential. Its dense population makes it difficult to divert large areas of land for solar photovoltaic deployment.
2. Inadequate energy supply for high development: Even if the full potential of hydro, solar, and wind is used, these sources cannot provide the energy level needed to achieve an HDI above 0.9. Until nuclear capacity is expanded, fossil fuels will continue to be used.
3. Intermittent nature of renewable power: Electricity from solar and wind varies with time of day and season. This makes it difficult to match electricity supply with demand.
4. High cost of large-scale storage: Balancing variable renewable generation requires storage. Storage is expensive, and providing storage for seasonal variations is prohibitively costly.
5. Need for reliable baseload generation: To provide affordable electricity, the power mix must include generation that is not dependent on seasons or time of day. Nuclear power plants provide such baseload electricity and are therefore essential for a decarbonised energy mix.

Nuclear Energy as the Development Anchor

1. Need for Baseload: A reliable energy system needs generation that runs continuously. Baseload power keeps electricity affordable.
   2. Stable Power Supply: Nuclear plants operate independent of weather or time of day. They provide steady electricity supply.
   3. Clean Growth Support: Nuclear power reduces emissions while meeting rising demand. It allows development without energy shortages.
   4. Fossil Bridge Needed: Until nuclear capacity expands, fossil fuels will continue to bridge the gap between demand and clean energy.

India’s Nuclear Readiness and Policy Push

1. Indigenous capability and reactor readiness

• Indigenous supply chain: India has indigenised the nuclear supply chain. Only uranium is imported due to limited domestic availability.
  • PHWR capability (700 MW): India has mastered Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) design and operation up to 700 MW. Three units are working and more are under construction.
  • Expansion sanctioned (2017): The government sanctioned ten 700 MW PHWRs in 2017. Work on these units is progressing.

2. Regulation, safety, and waste handling capacity

• Regulatory strength: A regulatory body exists since the 1980s. It has the capacity to regulate nuclear plants.
  • Fuel reprocessing: India has developed technologies to reprocess spent fuel. This helps recover valuable materials.
  • Waste management: Systems exist to handle nuclear waste. This supports safe nuclear operations.

3. Fuel security and long-term sustainability

• New uranium discovery and Jaduguda: New discoveries improve fuel security. A major find extends Jaduguda mine life by over 50 years.
  • Closed fuel cycle and PFBR: Progress in the closed fuel cycle has been made. Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) milestones support sustainable fuel supply.

4. Policy target and enabling law

• 100 GW target: The government targets 100 GW nuclear installed capacity by mid-century. This reflects scale-up ambition.
  • SHANTI Bill, 2025: The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025 merges key provisions of earlier nuclear laws. It provides an overarching legal framework.
  • AERB legal status: Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) is deemed constituted under the new Act. This gives legal clarity to regulation.
  • Licensee responsibility: Safety, security, and safeguards are assigned to the licensee. This fixes responsibility clearly.

5. Institutional mechanism for faster expansion

• ASHVINI joint venture: Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and NTPC formed ASHVINI. It aims to develop nuclear power plants within the existing legal framework.

Conclusion

India’s development goals need a huge rise in clean and reliable energy. Renewable sources alone cannot meet this scale due to land limits and intermittency, and storage is costly. Nuclear power gives steady baseload electricity and supports decarbonisation. India’s proven PHWR capability and the SHANTI Bill strengthen the push towards the 100 GW target by mid-century.

Question for practice:

Discuss why nuclear energy is essential for India’s long-term development and clean energy transition.

Source: The Hindu