The Nuclear Renaissance in India

Strategy for Clean and Reliable Energy Transition

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With the role of nuclear-based energy in achieving net-zero energy emissions growing and technological advancements in the clean energy gaining momentum, all roads lead towards sustainable future in the energy sector. K Ramanathan, Venkittu Sundaram and Dr Arunendra Kumar Tiwari pen down their thoughts on why nuclear power is making its way back in India, the factors conducive for it and the big boom which it might see in the coming years.

The role of nuclear energy in achieving net-zero energy emission targets is gaining prominence globally. This is reflected in the resurgence of nuclear-based power in many countries, including India. Technological advancements, policy support, rapidly growing demand, and the associated alarming changes in the climate are driving this transition, besides a conducive international environment. At the COP28, held in Dubai in December 2023, it was officially endorsed that the role of nuclear energy is critical for reducing the effects of climate change and 22 countries were signatories to the 'Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy by 2050'.1 At the Nuclear Energy Summit held in Brussels in March 2024, India conveyed its ambition to triple nuclear power production by 2030, as a part of its commitment to expand clean energy.2 India already made a head start to the development of nuclear energy and progressed significantly in technology and human resources development. The country has one of the largest deposits of thorium in the world, a potential fuel source for nuclear power, and is poised well to move ahead on the nuclear route. The road is, however, not all rosy; challenges are to be met on many fronts — technological, geopolitical, financial, and policy related.

Drivers of Nuclear Power in India