India Pledges Support for Nuclear, Coal, and Pumped Storage Projects
Officials in India said that country’s energy transition plan will focus on developing small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), pumped energy storage projects, and more efficient coal-fired power plants.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, presenting the government’s 2024-2025 budget, noted the latest financial allocations outline a shift in priorities for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Sitharaman on July 23 was presenting her coalition government’s first budget after the recent election in India saw her governing Bharatiya Janata Party lose its outright majority in parliament.
Sitharaman said the government will work with private companies to develop SMRs—reactors generating 300 MW or less of electricity—and other advanced technologies in an effort to increase the share of nuclear power in the country’s energy mix. The finance minister also said the government will work toward decarbonizing so-called “hard to abate” industries, and also focus on reducing emissions and promoting energy efficiency efforts across the economy.
Sitharaman said a taxonomy for climate finance will be developed, with a goal to enhance the availability of capital for climate adaptation and mitigation.
‘Significant’ Nuclear Energy
“Nuclear energy is expected to form a very significant part of the energy mix for Viksit Bharat,” said Sitharaman, referring to the program that means “Developed India.” The Viksit Bharat 2047 program represents the government’s vision to transform the country into a developed entity by the 100th anniversary of its independence, which occurred in 1947. The four pillars of Viksit Bharat are Yuva (Youth), Garib (Poor), Mahilayen (Women), and Annadata (Farmers).
Said Sitharaman: “Towards that pursuit, our government will partner with the private sector for setting up Bharat small reactors, research and development of Bharat small modular reactors, and research and development of newer technologies for nuclear energy.”
SMRs are mobile reactors, able to be moved by truck and rail. Their modular design means the technology is scalable, with units able to be combined to produce more electricity.
V. Anantha Nageswaran, India’s chief economic advisor, has said combined deployment of SMRs made in India, along with larger (at least 700 MW) pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) at new utility-scale nuclear power plants, could be a strategy for increasing the country’s nuclear power output.
Pumped Storage and Coal
Sitharaman also said a policy to promote pumped energy storage projects will be introduced. Pumped storage, utilizing the movement of water in reservoirs to generate electricity, also would support integration of renewable energy to India’s power grids.
The finance minister said the government also will back development of domestic technology for advanced ultra super critical (AUSC) coal-fired power plants. A joint venture between the National Thermal Power Corporation, known as NTPC, and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited will build an 800-MW thermal plant using AUSC technology. The Indian government has pledged financial support for the project.
India’s power ministry earlier this year said about 19.6 GW of new coal-fired generation capacity is expected to be brought online by year-end 2025. That figure includes about 14 GW expected to be commissioned this year. Coal-fired generation in India last year jumped by 14.7%. Officials said that was the first time growth in coal-fired electricity output outpaced growth in renewable energy since 2019. Generation from renewables in India grew by 12.2% last year.
—Darrell Proctor is senior associate editor for POWER (@POWERmagazine).