[Answered] Examine the strategic shifts proposed in the Draft National Electricity Policy 2026. Analyze how the integration of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and tariff rationalization can revolutionize India’s energy landscape while ensuring industrial competitiveness and sustainable decarbonization.

Introduction

In 2026, India’s Draft National Electricity Policy marks a decisive shift from access-centric reforms to a low-carbon, competitive power ecosystem, aligning energy security, industrial growth and climate commitments under Viksit Bharat @2047.

Strategic Reorientation of India’s Power Policy: From Coal-Dependence to Clean Baseload

1. Policy Reset after Two Decades:  Replacing NEP 2005, the Draft NEP 2026 recalibrates priorities from mere electrification to reliability, sustainability and financial viability, anticipating per capita consumption beyond 4,000 kWh by 2047, as projected by NITI Aayog.
2. Energy Transition with Security Lens: Unlike earlier renewable-heavy narratives, the policy explicitly recognises the need for round-the-clock (RTC) low-carbon baseload, positioning nuclear alongside renewables to ensure grid inertia and frequency stability.

Integration of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs): Nuclear as a Transition Enabler

1. Technological Leap through SMRs and Bharat Small Reactors: By promoting 220–300 MWe SMRs, NEP 2026 embraces modularisation, fleet-mode deployment and passive safety, consistent with IAEA’s SMR roadmap and global pilots in Canada and the UK.
2. Decarbonising Hard-to-Abate Industrial Sectors: Allowing direct nuclear power use by commercial and industrial (C&I) consumers enables substitution of coal-based captive plants in steel, aluminium and cement—sectors responsible for nearly 30% of India’s industrial emissions (IEA).
3. Private Participation after SHANTI Act, 2025: Breaking the state monopoly, the SHANTI Act operationalises public–private partnerships in nuclear generation, unlocking green finance, including Green Bonds, and reducing fiscal stress on the exchequer.

Tariff Rationalization: Restoring Financial Health and Market Discipline

1. Index-Linked Automatic Tariff Revision: To address DISCOM losses exceeding ₹7 lakh crore (RBI, 2025), NEP 2026 proposes index-linked tariff resets, ensuring timely cost pass-through and reducing populist tariff suppression.
2. Cross-Subsidy Reform for Industrial Competitiveness: Exempting manufacturing, railways and metros from cross-subsidy surcharges aligns with Make in India and logistics efficiency goals, correcting decades of industrial overpricing where tariffs often exceeded cost of supply by 80–100%.
3. Demand Charges and Cost-Reflective Pricing: Shifting fixed-cost recovery to demand charges strengthens DISCOM balance sheets amid rooftop solar and distributed generation growth, echoing recommendations of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill debates.

Transformational Impact on India’s Energy Landscape

1. Grid Stability in a High-RE Scenario: Nuclear provides system inertia and complements Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), reducing reliance on costly storage as renewable penetration rises beyond 50%.
2. Energy Security and Import Substitution: Scaling nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047 lowers dependence on imported fossil fuels, insulating India from geopolitical energy shocks, as witnessed during the Russia–Ukraine conflict.

Constraints and Caveats

1. Capital Intensity and Fuel Sovereignty: With nuclear costing nearly ₹30 crore/MW versus ₹6–7 crore/MW for coal, affordability and uranium supply control remain key investor concerns, necessitating regulatory clarity and fuel assurance mechanisms.
2. Regulatory and Social Readiness: AERB must evolve towards fleet licensing, while public acceptance around SMR siting near industrial clusters demands transparent risk communication.

Conclusion

Echoing President Droupadi Murmu’s call for sustainable growth, NEP 2026 blends reform and realism. As Amartya Sen notes, development endures only when efficiency, equity and ethics advance together.