BARC begins work to develop small modular reactors: Minister

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha that it is proposed to construct the lead units of these reactors at DAE (Department of Atomic Energy) site for technology demonstration. The demonstration reactors are likely to be constructed in 60 to 72 months after receipt of project sanctions.

The minister also said that a meeting took place between the DAE and Russia’s Rosatom focused on furthering bilateral cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, such as development of projects for both large and small-scale nuclear power plants and cooperation in the nuclear fuel cycle. Particularly, attention was given to opportunities for localizing equipment production in India. One of the new areas of discussion for cooperation, includes the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs) of Russian design in India.

Dr Singh further stated that in respect of Bharat Small Reactors (BSR) for captive use by industries, NPCIL floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) on December 31, 2024 in line with the business model approved by the government. A pre-proposal meeting was organized in February 2025 where queries of the interested industries were addressed. Clarifications on all the queries raised by various interested industries were compiled and posted on NPCIL website. Further, based on requests from the industries, the last date for submission of RFP has been extended to March 31, 2026.

He also said that the draft Atomic Energy Bill 2025 is currently in advanced stage of processing and preparation with final comments and suggestions from various Ministries being progressively incorporated along with concomitant vetting by Ministry of Law and Justice for legal compliances. Policy directives of the government with regard to specific aspects of the Bill are being suitably incorporated before being put up for approvals. “In the Budget 2025–26 announcement for the Nuclear Energy Mission, emphasis is on the development and deployment of five indigenous SMRs by 2033 with an outlay of Rs 20,000 crore,” the minister added.