Science & Technology
Nuclear power in India
Overview
Nuclear power is the fifth-largest source of electricity in India after coal, hydro, solar and wind. As of April 2025, India has 25 nuclear reactors in operation in 7 nuclear power plants, with a total installed capacity of 8,880 MW. Nuclear power produced a total of 56.7 TWh in FY 2024–25, contributing around 3% of total power generation in India. 11 more reactors are under construction with a combined generation capacity of 8,700 MW. The Union Budget FY26 has proposed to amend the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act to realize goal of at least 100 GW of Nuclear Energy by 2047.
Source: Wikipedia — Nuclear power in India (CC BY-SA)
Key concepts
How Nuclear power in India connects to the ideas, people and events around it.
Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions.
India is the third-largest producer and consumer of electricity after China and the United States, with about 6-7% share of global electricity generation. The country generated 2059.3 TWh in FY 2024-25, of which 23% came from non-fossil sources.
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as layers called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower. Hydropower supplies 15% of the world's electricity, almost 4,210 TWh in 2023, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and also more than nuclear power.
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the world's seventh-largest country by area and its most populous.
A nuclear reactor is a device used to sustain a controlled fission nuclear chain reaction. They are used for commercial electricity, marine propulsion, weapons production, and research.
A nuclear power plant (NPP), also known as a nuclear power station (NPS), nuclear generating station (NGS) or atomic power station (APS) is a thermal power station in which the heat source is a nuclear reactor.
A kilowatt-hour is a non-SI unit of energy equal to 3.6 megajoules (MJ) in SI units, which is the energy delivered by one kilowatt of power for one hour.
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Questions about Nuclear power in India
What is Nuclear power in India?
Nuclear power is the fifth-largest source of electricity in India after coal, hydro, solar and wind. As of April 2025, India has 25 nuclear reactors in operation in 7 nuclear power plants, with a total installed capacity of 8,880 MW. Nuclear power produced a total of 56.7 TWh in FY 2024–25, contributing around 3% of total power generation in India.
What are the key concepts related to Nuclear power in India?
The main concepts connected to Nuclear power in India include Nuclear power, Electricity sector in India, Coal, Hydroelectricity, India, Nuclear reactor, Nuclear power plant, Kilowatt-hour. Each is linked on the map above with its own summary.
Which exams cover Nuclear power in India?
Nuclear power in India is part of Science & Technology, which appears in the syllabus of UPSC CSE, UPSC CAPF, NDA, CDS, AFCAT, RRB NTPC and 32 more exams.