Pressurised heavy water reactors emerge as top pick for companies in nuclear power expansion

Indigenous pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) are gaining popularity among companies looking to expand India's civil nuclear power sector. This is due to the strong supply chain and established ecosystem that supports these reactors. India has set an ambitious goal to increase its domestic civil nuclear capacity to 100 gigawatt-electric by 2047. At a BloombergNEF Summit panel discussion, representatives from NTPC, Adani Atomic Energy and Jindal Steel shared their plans and perspectives on the technology.

NTPC aims to generate 30 gigawatts electric (GWe) of nuclear power, while Adani group targets 10 GWe and Jindal Steel aims for 18 GWe. They believe that the existing 700 MWe PHWR design, which is standard, approved and operational in India, could serve as a solid foundation for scaling up capacity in the initial phase. This technology has already established a robust supply chain and a mature ecosystem of vendors and expertise in the country.

However, these representatives also acknowledged that PHWRs alone may not be sufficient to achieve the country's nuclear power target. They emphasized the need for other reactor technologies, such as Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), to complement PHWRs as the sector matures. Companies like NTPC, Adani Atomic Energy and Jindal Steel are already exploring partnerships with foreign firms like Rosatom and EDF for potential deployment of these technologies in later stages.

The discussion came shortly after India released draft rules for the Strategic Hydrogen and Nuclear Transition Act (SHANTI Act), which lays out the regulatory framework for an expanded nuclear power ecosystem, including private participation, captive generation, licensing, safety oversight and nuclear liability.