NTPC Eyes Global Collaboration for 15 GW Nuclear Reactor Project

NTPC, India's state-owned energy giant, has launched a vast international tender to solicit partners to build nuclear power plants totaling some 15 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity. This represents a hard push to increase the country’s nuclear energy capacity and cut dependence on traditional energy, specifically coal. The tender calls for the establishment of plants using pressurised water reactor (PWR) technology, along with a guaranteed lifetime supply of nuclear fuel.

By insisting that prospective bidders clear with their respective domestic governments and conform to Indian regulatory framework including obtaining All Licenses for the Technology proposed, NTPC initiative becomes a massive market for the technology. This necessitates highlights both the strategic importance and the rigorous oversight of India's nuclear domain.

This goes particularly of interest amidst dynamic regulations and international partnerships. At present, the existing 8 GW of nuclear capacity in the country is managed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL), which has set an intermediary target of 20 GW by 2032, while the ultimate aim is to bring this up by a factor of five to 100 GW by the 100th year of Independence, which falls in 2047. Traditionally, the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 limited private investment in nuclear power generation. The government has received and there were several civil nuclear agreements discussed, such as with Westinghouse, GE-Hitachi and AREVA, IOCL and the Australian government recently signed a deal to import uranium, but things on all these fronts had stalled for a while until the government released a statement in February suggesting that there would be amendments to the nuclear liability law and the Atomic Energy Act to remove the hurdles needed to implement these agreements.

Perhaps even further suggesting the strategic orientation is the renewed nuclear cooperation that has been agreed between India and the United States, which is cemented with prime minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Washington. In a joint statement, they reaffirmed their standards as well as intentions to fully implement the US-India 123 Civil Nuclear Agreement as well as their intention to work together to support the construction of US-designed nuclear reactors in India through substantial localisation and potential technology transfer.

Meanwhile, US firm Holtec International has cleared a hurdle towards transferring small modular reactor (SMR) technology to India, with the US Department of Energy (DoE) issuing a letter of approval for the transfer. This authorisation, provided as of March 26, 2025, allows Holtec to work with three Indian private companies: its Indian subsidiary Holtec Asia, Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd. (TCE) and Larsen & Toubro Ltd. (L&T). The approval is conditional, however, with strict requirements, including adherence to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and ensuring the technology is not used for military purposes or in the development of nuclear weapons.

Notably, in the Holtec authorisation, NPCIL, NTPC and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) were precluded from being direct end-users as the Indian government did not provide the needed non-proliferation assurances for government-owned enterprises. However, according to reports, Holtec is expected to amend the authorisation at some stage to add these entities.

While NTPC's global invite bids along with the advancements in India's civil nuclear agreement with the United States of America and Holtec's technology transfer approval marks multi-dimensional effort to strengthen India's nuclear power infrastructure. It's about leading on PWR technology and also means a commitment to a lifetime supply of fuel, so it's about committing for the long as well as short term. The existing framework has indeed created challenges, however, the announced intention to update the relevant laws heralds a welcome amendment that implicitly seeks greater international engagement and investment to rejuvenate this vital sector. The results of the NTPC bid and the construction of partnerships like the Holtec ones will be followed with interest given India's ambitious plans for nuclear power.

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