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Atomic Energy Commission chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty expects private players to invest about ₹7.5 lakh crore and contribute roughly 30 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047. These are forecasts, not signed investment commitments or capacity already under construction. The figures sit within India’s broader 100 GW nuclear target for 2047.
What Mohanty’s estimate says
In an interview reported by PTI and published by ThePrint on 11 October 2026, Mohanty said he expects private companies to account for about 30 GW of capacity by 2047, supported by around ₹7.5 lakh crore in investment. He also said he expects a couple of private-sector players to be running reactors within five years. That is his expectation, not confirmation that companies have secured approvals, financing, or reactor projects.
The 30 GW figure is a projected private contribution to the national goal, not India’s total planned capacity. Government statements describe the Nuclear Energy Mission’s target as 100 GW by 2047. The Rajya Sabha answer on 5 February 2026 says the SHANTI Act is intended to enable wider private-sector participation toward that mission; the Act’s official listing is on the Department of Atomic Energy’s Acts & Rules page.
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The PTI report puts the scale of the challenge in context: NPCIL operated 24 reactors with a combined capacity of about 9 GW, while another 17 reactors, totaling around 13 GW, were at different implementation stages. Those reported figures describe the existing fleet and projects at various stages; they do not establish how much of the forecast private capacity will be built or when.
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The report says private companies were assessing reactor technologies, fuel supply, land, and possible partnerships, including joint ventures with NPCIL and foreign providers. These are reported areas of consideration, not confirmed awards or signed deals. The investment estimate should therefore be read as an expectation for a potential build-out, rather than a tally of committed spending.
What the SHANTI Act and Nuclear Energy Mission change
The government presents the SHANTI Act 2025 as enabling broader private participation in the nuclear sector. The Act does not, by itself, guarantee Mohanty’s investment or capacity forecast. Turning private interest into operating capacity still depends on projects being developed and meeting applicable regulatory requirements.
The Department of Atomic Energy says the mission includes a goal of at least five indigenous small modular reactors (SMRs) by 2033. It identifies three BARC design lines: a 220 MWe reactor, a 55 MWe reactor, and a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor rated up to 5 MWth for hydrogen production. These are government-stated design and mission milestones, distinct from proof that the reactors are already deployed or that private projects have been assigned to them.
What the cost and construction estimates mean
Mohanty gave a broad estimate of around ₹25 crore per MW and said projects could take five to seven years to build. These are interview estimates, not a universal price or guaranteed schedule. Actual costs and timelines would depend on the particular project, including its design, approvals, financing, and site.
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At the stated cost estimate, a simple multiplication would imply a very large capital requirement for 30 GW, but that should not be treated as a project budget: the interview does not establish that the per-MW estimate applies uniformly across a future private fleet or that it covers every cost category. Nor does the ₹7.5 lakh crore forecast establish how much investment has been financed or committed.
Large nuclear plants and SMRs serve different possible needs
The report discusses large nuclear plants as part of capacity expansion, while Mohanty described SMRs as a possible option for specialized industrial requirements, including in steel and cement. He made that possibility conditional on the reactor design, regulatory provisions, and commercial model; the report does not describe these as deployed industrial solutions.
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There is no project-level comparison or recommendation in the report. A decision between a large plant and an SMR would depend on the required power, available technology, regulatory approvals, project cost and timeline, and the commercial arrangement. The 30 GW forecast alone does not specify which technologies or project types would make up that capacity.
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The forecast will become more concrete only as potential participation turns into identifiable projects. Useful signals include named developers and partners, regulatory steps, financing, site and fuel arrangements, construction starts, and reactors entering operation. Until then, Mohanty’s figures describe an expectation for private participation—not delivered capacity.
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Official mission details, including the 100 GWe target and SMR milestones, are available in the Department of Atomic Energy’s Parliament response on progress under the Nuclear Energy Mission. The Rajya Sabha’s answer on the mission and the SHANTI Act’s private-participation purpose is available as Unstarred Question No. 646, answered 5 February 2026.
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