India Moves Ahead with Rajasthan Nuclear Projects

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Written by Yogesh Kumar for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has reached a major milestone at the Rawatbhata site in Rajasthan, commencing initial fuel loading at Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (RAPP) Unit 8, a 700-megawatt electric (MWe) indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR). The milestone follows regulatory approval from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and completion of pre-commissioning activities, safety evaluations and system-readiness checks. As of June 2026, RAPP-8 had reached 96.26% physical progress and was in the advanced stage of commissioning.

At the same site, NPCIL has initiated geotechnical investigations for RAPP-9&10, comprising two additional 700 MWe PHWR units with a combined planned capacity of 1,400 MW. The investigations, including borehole drilling, geophysical surveys and soil and rock assessment, represent an important pre-construction step for the proposed units. RAPP-9&10 is among projects identified under India's nuclear expansion roadmap.

The Rajasthan developments form part of a broader expansion of India's nuclear fleet. The country currently has 24 operating nuclear power plants with 8.78 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity, while 18 reactors totaling 13.6 GW are under implementation or pre-project activities. Nuclear generation reached 56,681 million units in 2024-25, up from 47,971 million units in 2023-24.

India has set a target of 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, compared with the current 8.78 GW. Government projections indicate capacity could reach about 22 GW by 2031-32, with NPCIL expected to contribute around 54 GW toward the 2047 roadmap through indigenous PHWRs, light water reactors (LWRs) and other technologies.

Industrial Info Resources is tracking 27 capital-spending nuclear projects across India, worth US$114 billion, including the Rajasthan projects.

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