India and France on Monday reviewed their cooperation in civil nuclear energy, including collaboration on the development of small and advanced modular reactors.
India has reportedly been in negotiations with France and Russia to build small modular reactors (SMRs) for use as green captive power plants for large industries.
In February, India and France signed a letter of intent for cooperation in developing Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs).
The Need For SMRs
India views SMRs as green and viable alternatives to aging, high–carbon footprint thermal power plants in sectors such as steel, aluminum, copper, and cement.
Though SMRs are more expensive to install, they are less expensive to operate than conventional thermal plants because they don’t require frequent refueling.
They can typically operate for years on a few kilograms of reactor fuel, unlike existing thermal plants, which require wagonloads of coal or diesel every day. The cost of transporting coal or diesel increases the cost of power generation.
To meet its net-zero carbon footprint targets by 2070, India aims to install 40–50 SMRs over the next 7–8 years.
India Aggressively Pursuing Its Goal
The Union Budget for 2025–26 allocated ₹20,000 crore ($2.2 billion) for research and development of SMRs under the India Nuclear Energy Mission. The allocation is aimed at deploying at least five indigenously designed SMRs by 2033.
The Mission supports the ambitious target of expanding nuclear capacity from 8,180 MW (as of January 2025) to 22,480 MW by 2031–32 and 100 GW by 2047, thereby enhancing energy security and facilitating a clean transition.
Private Sector Partnership & Bharat Small Reactors
The capacity expansion pivots on private sector partnerships and the proliferation of SMRs.
India is pursuing several parallel tracks to achieve its net-zero goal. It is adapting conventional nuclear reactor technology it has already developed for building SMRs, while also developing clean-sheet advanced SMRs with and without foreign assistance.
India’s Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is working on repurposing its 220 MWe pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) as compact, safer nuclear units that can serve as captive power plants under the Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR) initiative.
BARC’s 220 MWe reactors are based on 1980s technology and would need to be re-engineered with enhanced passive safety features, such as metallic liners in containment structures, to minimize exclusion zones.
India is also exploring tie-ups with companies like France’s EDF, Russia’s Rosatom, and the U.S.-based Westinghouse Electric Corp. to develop SMRs in India.
BSMR vs SMR
Unlike BSMRs, which are repurposed conventional PHWRs with added safety, SMRs are new, miniaturized reactors (typically under 300 MW). They are assembled from factory-prefabricated standardized components engineered for modularity. They can be easily transported and assembled, and their power output can be scaled up or down.
BSMRs are designed to keep costs manageable and avoid delays through adaptation rather than reinvention. On a parallel track, BARC is developing true SMRs that can be used for various applications.
BARC Capability Overview
Nuclear-powered ships and submarines are powered by small nuclear reactors. They feature high safety standards but lack prefabrication, standardization, and modularity.
BARC notably developed an 83 MWe pressurized light-water reactor for India’s Arihant-class SSBNs, using enriched uranium fuel.
It has recently been reported that BARC is developing a powerful 200 MWe reactor for India’s next-generation S-5 class SSBN.
BARC is also exploring various SMR technologies, including a 55 MWe pressurized water reactor suitable for remote and off-grid locations, and a 5 MWth Indian Gas-Cooled Reactor (IGCR) designed for hydrogen production and industrial decarbonization.
Demonstration units for these reactors are planned at Department of Atomic Energy sites, with construction expected within 60 to 72 months after project approval.
Russian Capability Overview
While India is exploring SMR collaboration with the U.S., France, and Russia, it is interesting to note that Russia is currently the only country with SMRs operational since 2020.
Russia’s Akademik Lomonosov, a floating nuclear power plant with two KLT-40S reactor units (each 35 MWe, totaling about 70 MWe), has been operational since May 2020, providing power and heat in Pevek, Chukotka.
Russia also has several SMRs under construction, such as RITM-200 variants.
The RITM-200 reactor is a 55 MWe integrated pressurized water reactor (PWR) developed by OKBM Afrikantov under Rosatom. It is based on reactors designed for nuclear icebreakers. Multiple RITM-200 units power Russia’s Project 22220 icebreakers.
The RITM-200N is being adapted for a land-based SMR in Ust-Kuyga, Yakutia (Arctic Russia), which was licensed in April 2023, with commissioning targeted for 2028.
The RITM-200 is compact, robust, and built to operate in Arctic and remote conditions. Russia plans to export six RITM-200N SMR units, with one of the recipients being Uzbekistan.
The RITM-400 is an advanced version of the RITM-200, scaled up for greater power. It is twice as powerful as its predecessor (315 MWth vs 165 MWth).
The output was scaled up to meet the requirements of more powerful nuclear icebreakers under Project 10510 (also known as the “Leader-class” or Rossiya icebreakers).
French Capability Overview
France has no operational SMRs, though designs like NUWARD (targeting early 2030s construction) and others (e.g., LFR-AS-200, Jimmy HTR) are under development or licensing.
NUWARD is a Generation III pressurized water reactor (PWR) with a total power output of 340 MWe, achieved via two 170 MWe reactor units combined on one site.
Unlike Russian RITM reactors, which are essentially repurposed nuclear-powered ship reactors, NUWARD is a clean-sheet modular, standardized design intended to allow faster, cheaper construction, with emphasis on simplicity, safety, and multiple-use flexibility. It can be used to generate electricity, heat, or hydrogen.
India’s requirement for SMRs and the timeframe envisaged for achieving its net-zero emission target could prompt the country to adopt multiple reactor types.
French and Russian SMRs differ in their electrical power generation capacities, while BARC may take longer to develop its clean-sheet SMR. It therefore makes sense for India to be firing on all cylinders.
- Vijainder K Thakur is a retired IAF Jaguar pilot, author, software architect, entrepreneur, and military analyst.
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