India developing three types of small modular reactors: Jitendra Singh
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Singh said the three types of SMRs — 200 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR), 55 MWe SMR and 5 MWth High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor — for the production of hydrogen are being designed and developed indigenously.
'In-principle approval has been obtained for the construction of these demonstration reactors. These demonstration reactors are likely to be constructed in 60 to 72 months after receipt of administrative sanction of projects," he said.
The minister said the lead units of BSMR and SMR are planned to be installed at Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) sites in collaboration with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
'An estimate prepared based on the experience of setting up of 220 MWe plants indicates that the overall cost for the lead unit of 200 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200) will be about Rs 5,750 crore," said Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office that oversees the DAE.
A 5 MWth high temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (GCR) is also planned to be used exclusively for hydrogen production by coupling with a suitable thermochemical hydrogen production process, he said.
The potential thermo-chemical technologies for hydrogen production, such as Copper-Chloride (Cu-Cl) and Iodine-Sulphur (I-S) cycles, have already been developed and demonstrated by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Singh said.
Necessary technology for the deployment of these reactors is available in the country and the majority of equipment is within the manufacturing capability of the Indian industry with technological handholding by the DAE, he said.
'These plants are designed & developed considering deployment as captive power plants, repurposing of retiring fossil fuel-based plants and hydrogen production to support the transport sector with the prime objective of decarbonisation," Singh said.
Presently, the installed nuclear power capacity in the country comprises 25 reactors with a total capacity of 8,880 MW, including RAPS-1 (100 MW), which is under long-term shutdown.
Two units of 700 MWe each – Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) 3 and 4 and one 700 MWe unit at Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP-7) have already commenced commercial operation.
At present, 18 reactors with a total capacity of 13,600 MW, including 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor implemented by BHAVINI, are at various stages of implementation.
On the progressive completion of these units, the installed nuclear power capacity will reach 22,480 MW, Singh said. PTI SKU SKU KSS KSS
view comments
First Published:
July 24, 2025, 17:15 IST
Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Isro-Nasa satellite Nisar takes flight
The Indian and US space agencies on Wednesday launched a powerful satellite that will keep a close eye on Earth and track even minuscule changes on its surface, arming scientists, researchers and disaster response teams with crucial data to help better forecast natural calamities. TOPSHOT - This handout photograph taken and released on July 30 by Isro shows launch vehicle GSLV-F16 carrying the Nisar earth observation satellite lifting off from the launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in India's Andhra Pradesh state.(AFP) The Nasa-Isro Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite, or Nisar, lifted off from the Indian Space Research Organisation's Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 5.40pm, aboard the agency's GSLV-F16 rocket, in collaboration with Nasa. Roughly the size of a large SUV, Nisar was injected into orbit at 5.58pm. Over the next few days, the 2,393kg will begin to unfold itself, extending its 30-foot boom and opening the 39-foot diameter (12-meter) reflector, made of gold-plated wire mesh. Science operations should begin by the end of October. For the next five years, the $1.5 billion satellite will map virtually all of Earth's terrain multiple times from its vantage point 743km above Earth. Its two radars — one from the US and the other from India — will operate constantly, scanning the planet in granular detail twice every 12 days. Experts said the satellite can track changes as small as a centimetre. Data from the landmark effort will transform the way scientists study a rapidly evolving planet and climate. The satellite will push out accurate insights on melting glaciers and polar ice sheets; shifting groundwater supplies; motion and stress of land surfaces prompting landslides and earthquakes; and forest and wetland disruptions boosting carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Union minister Jitendra Singh called the joint-launch India's 'scientific handshake with the world'. 'Its capacity to penetrate through fogs, dense clouds, ice layers, etc, makes it a pathbreaking enabler for the aviation and shipping sectors,' he said on X. Isro chief V Narayanan confirmed that the launch was on expected lines and that the satellite was performing within its required parameters. 'All the vehicle system performance is quite normal as expected and predicted. Today we achieved the intended orbit. We have placed it in orbit less than 3km, within the permissible level of 20km,' he said. Casey Swails, deputy associate administrator of Nasa, who attended the launch, said, 'It has been just an incredible decade culminating in this moment from this technical collaboration, the cultural understanding, getting to know each other, building that team across continents, across time zones, missing weekends with families, holidays.' Nisar will be the world's first Earth-observing satellite equipped with two radars to sharpen its data gathering – an S-band and an L-band. The S-band radar, built by Isro, allows accurate readings of small plants, bushes and shrubs. The L-band, built by Nasa, helps sense taller vegetation like trees. Isro and Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) shared the workload, each building their own components, before integrating and testing the spacecraft at the former's Satellite Integration & Testing Establishment in Bengaluru. Data from the L-band instrument will be available at the Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF) and from the S-Band will be available on Bhoonidhi at the National Remote Sensing Centre in Hyderabad.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Chief secy's last day in office today: Suspense remains over extension
Lucknow: Unless he gets an extension, Thursday will be the last day in office for chief secretary Manoj Kumar Singh. The chief minister's office has already written to the Centre, requesting for a one-year extension for Singh, citing upcoming programmes and projects. Sources say that any decision is likely to come on Thursday itself. The Centre's decision on whether to continue with the CM's choice or bring in a new person will be crucial in light of the assembly elections scheduled for the first quarter of 2027 as Singh is leading several key projects close to the CM, including the Zero Poverty programme, industrial development, an upcoming Ground Breaking ceremony and another Investors Summit around the beginning of next year. If Singh does not get an extension, there are three or four names doing the rounds of those who could succeed him. These include 1989 batch officer SP Goyal, who is currently additional chief secretary to CM, civil aviation and additional resident commissioner, UP, and Devesh Chaturvedi from the same batch, who is currently on deputation as secretary, department of agriculture and Farmer Welfare, GOI. Goyal is due for retirement in two years while Chaturvedi is up for retirement next year. Another officer who appears to be in the race is 1990 batch officer Deepak Kumar, who is ACS finance, commissioner finance and chairperson of State Vigilance Commission Administrative Tribunal-I. Singh had succeeded Durga Shankar Mishra, who was repatriated to UP two days before he was due to retire on Dec 31, 2021, and took charge as CS on Dec 30. Widely acknowledged as the Centre's choice, Mishra's 2.5 year tenure was record setting in terms of its duration and extensions. Mishra's appointment was unusual in other ways as well, as he came in when the then chief secretary RK Tiwari still had two months to retire. Orders for Mishra's repatriation to UP, secretary in the ministry of urban development, Government of India, were issued on Dec 29 which stated that he was being repatriated for his "proposed appointment" as CS. This change also came days before the February 2022 elections.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
AAP moves SC against UP govt move to merge schools with low enrolment
Lucknow: The Aam Aadmi Party has taken its fight against the merger of schools with low enrolment in Uttar Pradesh to the Supreme Court. Party MP and UP in-charge Sanjay Singh filed a petition in the SC, challenging the UP govt's order issued on June 16, to close some primary schools and merge them with other schools within a 3 km radius. Singh called the govt's decision "arbitrary, unconstitutional, and against children's right to education," alleging that it violates not only Article 21A of the Constitution but also the spirit of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. An AAP functionary in UP said that the party highlighted the danger of closing primary schools, forcing children aged 6 to 14 years to travel 3 to 4 km through difficult and dangerous routes, including forests, railway tracks, highways, and other risky paths, which is not only impractical but could be life-threatening for children. In the petition, Singh said that as per the RTE Act, there has to be a primary school within a 1 km radius for every settlement with a population of 300. He added that before issuing this order, the govt did not consult school management committees nor seek approval from the legislative assembly. Moreover, he said, it is being implemented in the middle of the academic session, causing significant inconvenience to thousands of students and parents. Singh also argued that the order will have the worst impact on girls, children from marginalised communities, differently-abled children, and families living in remote areas.
