India’s plan to expand nuclear power capacity could face delays after proposed rules introduced additional approval requirements for foreign reactor technology.
The draft framework follows a nuclear law passed by India’s parliament last year to open the tightly controlled sector to private companies and attract foreign investment and expertise.
India aims to increase nuclear capacity nearly tenfold to 100 gigawatts (GW) over the next two decades, requiring an estimated $210 billion in investment as it seeks to reduce reliance on coal.
The state-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is already implementing a 14-GW expansion programme through 2032, but officials say private investment and new reactor technologies will be essential to meeting the longer-term target.
Indian companies including Tata Power, Adani Power and Reliance Industries, alongside foreign firms such as Rosatom, EDF and GE Hitachi, have expressed interest in opportunities in the sector.
Under the proposed rules, imported reactors would require operational and licensing certifications from their country of origin, as well as separate design approval from India’s nuclear regulator before construction can begin.
Industry experts warned that the requirements could favour established domestic technologies and make newer designs, including small modular reactors (SMRs), harder to deploy because many are only beginning commercial operations globally.
They also said the approval process could lengthen project timelines, particularly because the draft does not provide a binding deadline for India’s regulator to approve reactor designs.
Investors are also seeking clarity on tariffs, expected returns, financial and technical qualifications, fuel arrangements and reprocessing rules, with several details left for future government notifications.
Companies have until September 4 to submit comments on the draft, which the government expects to finalise within about three months, with the outcome likely to determine how quickly foreign technology and private capital enter India’s nuclear sector.