NTPC chief cautions against dependence on single supplier for nuclear technology

The country must remain watchful of becoming over-dependent on any single supplier or country for nuclear technology as it moves ahead with the ambitious 100 GW nuclear power plan, an industry executive has cautioned.

Gurdeep Singh, the Chairman of India’s largest power generation company NTPC, has asserted that the country should prioritise control over technology and resources, even if domestic options are 5-10 per cent costlier at the initial stage, to avoid the supply chain vulnerabilities currently seen globally.

Singh, at a workshop organised by Central Electricity Authority on India’s nuclear power roadmap, urged stakeholders to move beyond legislative intent and focus on the immediate formulation of rules and guidelines, arguing that clarity in implementation is the only way to convert policy into actual investment, according to the minutes of the workshop released by the CEA at the weekend.

The workshop on “Shanti Act, 2025: Enabling India’s 100 GW Nuclear Power Roadmap through Public-Private Partnership” held last month.

“The chairman has also cautioned against technological over-dependence on any single supplier or country, asserting that India should prioritise control over technology and resources, even if domestic options are 5-10 per cent costlier at initial stage, to avoid the supply chain vulnerabilities currently seen globally,” as per the minutes.

Singh said his company aims to build 30 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047, and to achieve this goal NTPC is exploring feasible locations across 14 States of the country. On the size of the projects being planned by NTPC, he stated the focus must remain on large capacity reactor sets.

“For a large-scale power producer like NTPC, the focus must remain on large capacity reactor sets rather than Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), he said and suggested it might be better suited for captive industrial use despite their high standby costs.

According to the NTPC website, the company currently has an installed capacity of 89,805.30 MW at group-level, spanning coal, gas/liquid fuel, hydro and solar power. As of March 31, 2026 NTPC held 17 per cent of India’s total power generation capacity and contributed 24 per cent of total power generation of the country.

The SHANTI Act repealed the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, which had proved to be impediments to the growth of the civil nuclear sector in India.

The new law enables private companies and joint ventures to build, own, operate, and decommission nuclear power plants under a Government licence.