The Indian Government has tentatively selected 10 old or decommissioned thermal power plant sites across different states for potential conversion into nuclear power plants. The selected sites are still under a preliminary stage, and the final decision on the sites to be converted is expected to take place after a careful assessment by a site selection committee that includes representatives from the Nuclear Power Corporation of India. The selection process is expected to take time since the placement of nuclear power plants depends on factors such as seismic stability, water availability, proximity to populated areas.
The Indian Power Ministry is also exploring the installation of different nuclear power generation technologies, such as SMR’s, according to the suitability of each site in terms of space and resources.
The initiative is aligned with India’s ambition to install up to 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, with a mid-term objective of 22 GW by 2032 (8.2 GW at the end of 2024).