Bajaj Energy believes India will not stop at 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 — it could go further. Sunita Kumar, President and CEO of Bajaj Energy’s nuclear division, stated on the sidelines of the iBRICS Summit 2026 that the government’s target is achievable, and even beatable, provided the private sector is genuinely empowered to act. India’s current installed nuclear capacity stands at around 9 GW. Reaching 100 GW means multiplying that figure by eleven — in twenty years.
The breakdown of the 100 GW target is already mapped out on paper. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is expected to account for over 50 GW, while NTPC has announced plans for 30 GW. Private players have already put forward projects totalling more than 20 GW combined. Bajaj Energy — which currently operates around 3,000 MW across thermal and cogeneration assets — intends to carve out its share of that space. Kumar did not specify a precise target, but made clear the company is already engaged in operational discussions, not merely scoping the sector.
Kumar identifies three key factors as decisive: speed of project execution, access to financing, and technology localisation. On the fuel side, the SHANTI Act — the legislation allowing private companies to independently procure uranium — marks a concrete turning point. Bajaj Energy is already exploring supply options through international partnerships, including with Australia. This represents a fundamental shift away from the state monopoly that has defined India’s nuclear sector until very recently.
The technology question is equally significant. India already operates reactors across multiple platforms: boiling water reactors, pressurised heavy water reactors, and Russian-designed VVERs. Ongoing discussions with countries such as France aim to make next-generation technologies economically viable for the Indian market. Kumar is straightforward on this point: India is a price-sensitive market, and no nuclear technology — however advanced — is sustainable if it cannot compete on cost. BRICS-framework cooperation is seen as a useful channel for lowering the cost of capital, particularly for technologies originating from higher-interest-rate countries.
Risk allocation remains another open question. According to Kumar, the private sector will require a balanced risk-sharing arrangement with the state, at least for the first wave of projects. Investment rights, currency risk, taxation, and procurement frameworks all need to be clearly resolved before private capital can move at scale. The direction is right, but the path demands clear and timely decisions from the government. If those decisions come when they should, 2047 may prove not a finishing line, but a starting point.
