Nuclear power projects under construction in India have seen costs surge exponentially over the past few years. Data shared by the government reveals there are 20 reactors presently under implementation — including 10 that are under construction or commissioning. The list includes four Russian-designed nuclear power plants in Tamil Nadu that have seen a 55% increase in expenses amid the Ukraine war.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday that four reactors in the Kudankulam area would now incur a combined cost of Rs 138,330 crore. Foundation stones were laid for the projects in 2016 and sanctioned costs in 2020 had added up to Rs 89,470 crore.
As per the government, construction is set to conclude by June 2027/2028 for KKNPP 3&4 while the expected date of commissioning for KKNPP 5&6 is June 2029/March 2030. The Parliament was also told that construction of two nuclear power plants in the Kaiga area of Karnataka would conclude in June 2031 or 2032 at a revised estimated cost of Rs 21,000 crore.
Russian nuclear reactor sees surging costs, delays amid war
The four reactors currently under construction in the Kudankulam area of Tamil Nadu will be commissioned through March 2030 after missing an initial deadline for completion by 2027. The first is expected to start operations in June next year — joining two Russian reactors of 1GW capacity each that have already been installed in the coastal town.
Official figures shared in March 2020 reveal significantly lower sanctioned costs for all six projects. The KKNPP 3 and 4 nuclear projects in Tamil Nadu (each with a capacity of 1000 MW) was previously accorded Rs 39,849 crore while KKNPP 5 and 6 incurred a cost of Rs 49,621 crore.
| Project | Sanctioned Cost (2020) | Revised Cost |
| KKNPP-3&4 (Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu) | Rs 39,849 crore | Rs 68,893 crore |
| KKNPP-5&6 (Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu) | Rs 49,621 crore | Rs 69,437 crore |
The cost of building four 700-megawatt domestic reactors — two each at Kaiga in Karnataka and Gorakhpur in Haryana — are also set to be revised. The GHAVP 1 & 2 projects in Haryana initially had a sanctioned cost of Rs 20,594 crore while Kaiga 5 & 6 were allocated Rs 21,000 crore. The Centre said the cost of both projects were under revision without divulging details.
Costs have also surged for the Rawatbhata project in Rajasthan that is currently in an advanced stage of commissioning. Commercial operations had also started in April this year. Data gleaned from government updates indicates that the revised cost now stands at Rs 22,924 crore (with NPP cost available in twin unit base). The sanctioned cost had stood at Rs 12320 crore in 2020 — with a revision underway to Rs 17079 crore.
More than 10 nuclear projects underway
“Three reactors namely, KAPP-3&4 (2X700 MW) and RAPP-7 (700 MW) totaling to a capacity of 2100 MW have recently commenced commercial operation, while RAPP-8 (700 MW) is at an advance stage of commissioning. The 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor has attained first criticality on 06.04.2026,” Singh told the Parliament in a separate reply.
Multiple questions posed to the Parliament over the past month also focused on the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor. The advanced, indigenously designed nuclear facility in the Kalpakkam area of Tamil Nadu also marks India’s official entry into the second stage of its three-stage nuclear power program.
“Regular review on the commissioning activities and safety validation is being done by the management. Before commencement of major commissioning activities, multi-tier regulatory review is conducted and step-wise regulatory clearances are obtained from Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. Additionally quarterly regulatory inspections are being carried out by AERB,” Singh added.