As India moves to scale up nuclear power capacity to 100 GW by 2047, NTPC chairman and managing director Gurdeep Singh has cautioned against India becoming over-dependent on any single country or supplier for nuclear technology.
Emphasising the need to protect India from the kind of supply-chain vulnerabilities currently visible across global energy markets, Singh maintained that the country should prioritise control of its energy policy over technology and resources.
Speaking at a workshop organised by the Central Electricity Authority on “SHANTI Act, 2025”, Singh said India should prioritise control over technology and resources, even if domestic options are 5-10% costlier in the initial stage.
NTPC Chief’s remarks come at a pivotal moment in India’s journey of harnessing nuclear power. According to reports published by agencies like Reuters, India’s nuclear expansion plan will require large-scale technology partnerships, long-term fuel security, project financing and private-sector participation.
India’s present nuclear capacity is around 8.78 GW, excluding RAPS-1, and is expected to rise to about 22 GW by 2031-32 as projects under implementation are completed, according to a March 2026 press release published by the government. The broader 2047 target, however, is 100 GW, implying a more than tenfold expansion over two decades.
Singh on how NTPC can contribute to 2047 targets for ‘Viksit Bharat’
NTPC has reportedly positioned itself as a key player in the planned transition. Singh said the company aims to build 30 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 and is exploring feasible locations across 14 states.
Reuters had earlier reported that NTPC was looking to build 30 GW of nuclear power capacity over two decades at an estimated cost of $62 billion, after the government moved to open the sector to foreign and private investment.
Talking about the size of the projects being planned by NTPC, he stated the focus must remain on large capacity reactor sets. “For a large-scale power producer like NTPC, the focus must remain on large capacity reactor sets rather than Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), ” he said and suggested it might be better suited for captive industrial use despite their high standby costs.
According to the NTPC website, the company, historically India’s largest thermal power generator, currently has an installed group capacity of 89,805.30 MW across coal, gas/liquid fuel, hydro, small hydro, solar, wind and energy storage assets
As of March 31, 2026 NTPC held 17 per cent of India’s total power generation capacity and contributed 24 per cent of total power generation of the country.
Decoding India’s nuclear ambition via SHANTI ACT
Singh’s comments on India’s 100GW nuclear push were made a workshop titled ‘SHANTI Act, 2025: Enabling India’s 100 GW Nuclear Power Roadmap through Public-Private Partnership’. Organised with the Department of Atomic Energy and NTPC, the CEA workshop focused on operationalising the SHANTI Act, 2025, which is intended to help scale India’s nuclear capacity to 100 GW while supporting long-term energy security and net-zero goals.
Singh also urged stakeholders to move quickly from legislative intent to rules and guidelines, arguing that clarity in implementation would be critical to converting policy into investment. The official PIB release on the workshop said Singh had emphasised early formulation of rules and guidelines, long-term fuel availability, safety and energy security, while also calling for technology and supply-chain partnerships.
The SHANTI Act, 2025, marks one of the most recent and pivotal policy shifts in India’s civil nuclear sector. According to PRS Legislative Research, the law replaces the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010.
It allows licences to be granted to Indian companies, joint ventures between government entities and private companies, and other entities permitted by the Centre for activities including building, owning or operating nuclear plants and handling nuclear fuel, subject to regulatory authorisation.
The policy opening has already drawn interest from large Indian groups. Reuters had reported earlier that Tata Power, Vedanta, Reliance Industries and Adani Power had expressed interest in nuclear power after the government began moving towards private participation. It also reported that possible partners for NTPC’s nuclear plans could include France’s EDF, GE and Holtec International.
At the CEA workshop, other officials also underlined the same broad theme. CEA chairperson Ghanshyam Prasad stressed the need for secure and uninterrupted nuclear fuel supply through source diversification and long-term procurement arrangements, while DAE’s Seema Jain spoke about financial preparedness, risk-sharing mechanisms, institutional frameworks and global technology partnerships.