Discuss the significance of the Nuclear Energy Mission in achieving India's 2047 energy and 2070 net-zero targets. Examine the role of indigenous SMRs in this strategy.

Q. Discuss the significance of the Nuclear Energy Mission in achieving India's 2047 energy and 2070 net-zero targets. Examine the role of indigenous SMRs in this strategy. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

Announced in the Union Budget 2025-26, the Nuclear Energy Mission (NEM) targets 100 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2047, positioning atomic power as the firm, low-carbon backbone of Viksit Bharat and of India's net-zero-by-2070 pledge [1].

Significance for the 2047 energy target

• Baseload security: unlike solar and wind, nuclear supplies round-the-clock power, stabilising a grid whose renewable share is rising sharply — indispensable if 100 GWe is to displace coal rather than merely supplement it [1].
• Financial commitment: ₹20,000 crore earmarked for SMR research, development and deployment converts the target from aspiration into a funded programme run by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) [1].
• Structural reform: the SHANTI Act, 2025 — assented on 20 December 2025 — consolidates the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, permitting regulated private and foreign participation and unlocking capital the public sector alone cannot mobilise [2].

Significance for net-zero 2070

• Nuclear generation is near zero-carbon, directly serving the Panchamrit decarbonisation pathway [1].
• The HTGCR (up to 5 MWth) is designed for hydrogen production, linking nuclear policy to green hydrogen and to hard-to-abate sectors such as steel and fertilisers [1].

Role of indigenous SMRs

• NEM mandates at least five indigenous SMRs operational by 2033, designed by BARC [1].
• BSMR-200 (220 MWe) and SMR-55 (55 MWe) have in-principle approval, with construction proposed at Tarapur; indigenous ApuRVA pressure-vessel alloy and in-house control rod drive mechanisms reduce import dependence [1].
• Their modular, smaller footprint suits retiring coal plant sites and captive industrial demand, easing land acquisition and local resistance.

NEM thus converts nuclear energy from a niche, state-monopoly programme into a mainstream decarbonisation instrument, with SMRs as its most scalable and indigenously mastered component. Timely regulatory capacity-building, robust safety oversight and stable fuel supply will determine whether the 2033 and 2047 milestones translate into a just, secure and genuinely net-zero energy transition.

(~325 words)

Sources: 1. PIB, Department of Atomic Energy — Parliament Question: Nuclear Energy Mission — 100 GWe by 2047 target, net-zero 2070 linkage, ₹20,000 crore SMR allocation, five indigenous SMRs by 2033, BARC as design agency, BSMR-200/SMR-55/HTGCR status and Tarapur siting, ApuRVA alloy 2. PRS Legislative Research — Summary of the SHANTI Bill, 2025 — replacement of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and CLND Act, 2010; private and foreign participation under regulatory oversight; enactment timeline