By Sethuraman N R
October 13, 2025 – A significant government-appointed panel in India has put forth recommendations to fast-track the country’s nuclear energy expansion. Key proposals include shortening nuclear project timelines, ensuring a stable supply of uranium fuel, and expanding reprocessing capabilities. These suggestions come as India aims to reach a substantial 100 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear capacity by 2047, a significant leap from its current 8.88 GW.
To achieve this ambitious goal, India is actively revising its regulations. These reforms aim to dismantle a long-standing state monopoly and ease stringent liability provisions. The objective is to encourage greater private participation and attract international expertise in nuclear technology. The Ministry of Power-formed panel highlighted that the current average time from site approval to reactor commissioning, which spans 11 to 12 years, needs considerable reduction. This can be achieved through expedited land acquisition processes and more efficient regulatory clearances.
The panel also suggests leveraging existing sites and repurposing retired thermal power plant locations for new nuclear projects. To address fuel security, India is advised to ramp up domestic uranium mining, explore overseas mining opportunities, open uranium sourcing and fuel fabrication to private entities, and build substantial fuel stockpiles sufficient for up to 60 years of reactor operation.
Furthermore, the report supports the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, with this crucial process to be managed by a government entity. While India intends to continue deploying its indigenous reactor designs for most new facilities, the committee has also recommended the adoption of advanced, next-generation reactors from international suppliers.
In terms of financial and operational safety, the committee proposes a review of the nuclear insurance pool. The goal is to ensure adequate coverage of 15 billion rupees per incident per operator, moving away from the current limitations on total annual liability across all installations.
This report was compiled from an automated news agency feed and has been presented without modifications.