India Plans Five Indigenous Small Modular Reactors by 2033

Key facts

• India plans to develop and operationalise at least five indigenously-designed small modular reactors (SMRs) by 2033.
• The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is designing three SMRs: the 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200), the 55 MWe SMR-55, and an up to 5 MWth High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGCR).
• The BSMR-200 and SMR-55 are pressurised water reactors (PWR) to be built in Tarapur, Maharashtra.
• The HTGCR will be located in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, and is intended for hydrogen production via a thermochemical cycle.
• SMRs are aimed at captive power generation for energy-intensive industries, repurposing retiring fossil fuel power plants, and supplying electricity to remote off-grid locations.
• The HTGCR can be coupled with a thermochemical cycle to produce green hydrogen for transport and process industries.