The Government is keen to promote nuclear energy and India will have nine nuclear reactors by 2024, Minister of State for personnel, public grievances and pensions Jitendra Singh said in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

He also said the present government has also decided to have reactors in different parts of the country and a nuclear plant will come up in Haryana about 150 kms from the national capital.  Earlier, the plants were located in south and some other parts of the country.

"By 2024 you will have nine nuclear reactors plus 12 new additional ones which were approved during the Covid times with a capacity of 9000 MW. Five new sites are also being identified," in different parts of the country, he said during the Question Hour.

Asked whether the government is thinking of phasing out nuclear power plants on account of safety, the minister said, "We have not only increased the number but are also trying to make a pan-India generation project."

The Minister said that nuclear energy will soon emerge as one of the most important sources of alternative or clean energy for the increasing power demand of the country. As far as the cost is concerned, though it varies from plant to plant and on the age of the plant, Singh said on an average it comes to about Rs 3 per unit and while the Kudankulam plant has about Rs 4 per unit and Tarapur has lesser cost. But in the times to come, with more plants the cost would reduce, he said.

On the expansion of Kudankulan nuclear plant, the Minister also said that "hopefully in 2021, we plan to start the construction of unit 5 and unit 6 as well."