India needs an investment of Rs 15 lakh crore to add 91 gigawatt (GW) of nuclear capacity by 2047, Central Electricity Authority (CEA) Chairman Ghanshyam Prasad said on Wednesday, as per a PTI report.
The country also requires deeper private sector participation in the industry, he said.
India's present installed nuclear capacity stands at around 8.8 GW, which is expected to grow to 22 GW by 2030-31, Prasad said at the CEA brainstorming event on 'Making Indian Power Sector AI Enabled'.
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Under the country's 100 GW nuclear power goal, which Prasad describes as a stable source of electricity, 46 GW will come from public sector undertakings (PSUs), private players and joint ventures (JVs), as per the report.
This capacity will help meet peak power demand, which is expected to reach 459 GW by 2035-36 from 250 GW in 2024-25, he added.
Prasad argued that 274 GW of renewable energy capacity yields only 29.2% of electricity, while nuclear power adds steady, round-the-clock supply.
India opens nuclear sector to private players
In December 2025, Parliament approved legislation allowing private and foreign companies to enter India’s nuclear power sector, marking a shift from the state-controlled model.
The law requires private companies to obtain licences to operate nuclear power plants, while foreign firms can participate through partnerships with Indian companies.
India is targeting a tenfold increase in nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047.
Rising demand puts pressure on power supply
On Tuesday, Prasad told an event organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce that India may need to add 105 GW to 150 GW of coal-fired power capacity beyond its earlier plan to reach 307 GW by 2035, according to a Reuters report.
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He said peak electricity demand this year had been running 45 GW to 50 GW above year-ago levels, partly because weaker monsoon rains had reduced hydropower output and increased reliance on thermal plants.
Prasad said the continued expansion of renewable energy would need to be complemented by nuclear power and pumped-storage hydropower to maintain grid stability and ensure reliable electricity supplies.
The CEA advises the Centre on matters related to the national electricity policy.