Manohar Lal Khattar, MoS Jitendra Singh jointly convene meeting to discuss 100 GW Nuclear energy mission

This meeting followed up on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious target of expanding India's clean energy basket and reaffirming the country's commitment to achieving Net Zero emissions.

During the meeting, a thorough review was conducted on the roadmap to increase India's nuclear energy capacity from the current 8.8 GW to 22 GW by 2032, through the addition of 14 GW from various ongoing and upcoming projects, department of Atomic Energy said.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences, MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the government's landmark initiative to open the nuclear sector for private sector participation, emphasizing its pivotal role in strengthening India's energy security.

He also noted a strong and vibrant response from industries towards the Bharat Small Modular Reactor (SMR) program, leading to an extension of the Request for Proposal (RFP) submission deadline to 30th September 2025 to encourage wider participation. The outcomes of the 4th Consultative Committee meeting held in April were fast-tracked to ensure timely implementation.

Khattar and Dr Singh outlined several key directives to expedite progress, including streamlining regulatory clearances, standardizing documentation, optimizing processing timelines, emphasizing generic proposals, synchronizing licenses, and investing in technical upgradation and capacity building.

Dr Jitendra Singh further stressed the government's commitment to handholding and creating awareness among private sector players, many of whom were pleasantly surprised by the opening of the nuclear sector to private participation. The Power Minister reiterated the importance of adhering to timelines and accelerating projects as per the established roadmap.

Senior officials present at the meeting included Dr Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) & Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC); Pankaj Agrawal, along with other senior officials from the Departments of Power and Atomic Energy. (ANI)