To reach 100GW involvement of private sector is essential

Niti Aayog member VK Saraswat tells Himanshu Ojha why small modular reactors are essential for reliable power supply. Edited excerpts

- Himanshu Ojha

How is NITI Aayog positioning small modular reactors (SMRs) within India's energy-transition strategy?

We all know that renewable energy, whether it's wind or solar, has its own challenges—variability in supply depending on weather, time of day and other factors. For uninterrupted and reliable power supply, it's essential to have a non-thermal source of energy, and nuclear energy offers a good mix.

In this context, SMRs are an emerging technology with distinct advantages. First, they require far less space. Second, they are flexible in design. Third, they are compact and can be manufactured in factories in a manner similar to automobiles. They do not require long construction or commissioning periods and can be deployed wherever needed.

SMRs are a preferred solution for meeting power demands, especially where captive power plants are required such as in cement and steel plants, or refineries, where thermal captive power is currently used.

What timeline does NITI Aayog envision for policy rollout and project execution to meet our 2047 targets?

At present, if we look at the rate at which nuclear power plants are being set up, it’s not very satisfactory. That said, over the past decade, we've seen a significant increase in the rate of establishing new power plants. Today, we have about 24 nuclear-power plants operational across the country, generating roughly 8-8.8GW of nuclear power.

However, to reach the ambitious goal of 100GW, involvement of the private sector is essential.