NTPC submits feasibility reports for three nuclear sites to India's Atomic Energy Commission

On 9 October 2026, Indian Infrastructure reported that NTPC Limited had submitted detailed feasibility reports for three greenfield nuclear sites — in Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha — to India's Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). The submissions initiate the formal regulatory process under which the AEC's Standing Site Selection Committee reviews suitability before forwarding proposals to the full Commission for approval. Each site is planned to host between 2 and 4 GW of nuclear capacity. The move is the most concrete regulatory step yet by a non-NPCIL entity under the SHANTI Act framework enacted in 2025, which for the first time allowed companies other than the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to build and operate nuclear power plants.

The SHANTI Act and what changed

For six decades, India's 1962 Atomic Energy Act confined commercial nuclear power generation exclusively to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, a state enterprise. The SHANTI Act — Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy in India — repealed the relevant exclusivity provisions and eliminated the liability barriers under the 2010 Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act that had deterred foreign equipment suppliers. Under the new framework, private Indian entities may hold up to 49 per cent stakes in nuclear power generation, while state enterprises such as NTPC can pursue standalone projects through licensed subsidiaries.

NTPC established NTPC Parmanu Urja Nigam Limited (NPUNL) as its wholly-owned nuclear subsidiary in the 2024-25 financial year. NPUNL is managing the three-state feasibility programme. Separately, NTPC holds a 49 per cent stake in Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam Limited (ASHVINI), a joint venture with NPCIL (51 per cent), which is developing the 2,800 MW Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project — four units of 700 MW each — in Rajasthan at an estimated cost of approximately Rs 42,000 crore. Excavation consent has been granted and first concrete is targeted for 2027, World Nuclear News reported.

Technology choices and international partners

According to Indian Infrastructure's reporting on 9 October, NTPC is evaluating technology collaborations with four international vendors: Holtec International and Westinghouse of the United States, Rosatom of Russia and EDF of France. The sites in the three states are earmarked for pressurised water reactor (PWR) technology, which requires foreign licensing given that India's indigenous reactor programme has focused on pressurised heavy-water reactors (PHWRs). For units in the 700 MW and 1,000 MW range, NTPC has previously indicated it may use PHWRs; the 1,600 MW scale would require technology transfer from one of the four vendors under evaluation.

The SHANTI Act removed the legal barrier that had effectively blocked earlier vendor proposals — including EDF's plan for six reactors at Jaitapur and Westinghouse's proposal for six units at Kovvada — by addressing unlimited operator liability provisions that suppliers had refused to accept. Whether any of those earlier frameworks are revived under the new structure, or whether NTPC pursues entirely fresh agreements, will depend on the AEC's approval timeline and the outcome of ongoing technology negotiations.

Scale of the target and the regulatory bottleneck

India's government has set a 100 GW nuclear capacity target by 2047. Against that, total installed nuclear capacity stands at approximately 7.5 GW, making NTPC's 30 GW ambition across at least 14 states central to any realistic pathway. NTPC, with 89 to 91 GW of installed capacity across coal, gas, hydro, solar and wind, currently generates roughly 25 per cent of India's electricity, according to Insights IAS.

The immediate constraint is regulatory pace. The AEC's Standing Site Selection Committee must complete its review and forward its recommendation to the full Atomic Energy Commission before NTPC can proceed to project development at any of the three sites. The Bihar state government has already granted NTPC permission to conduct a feasibility study in Banka district, establishing that state-level consent is running ahead of central regulatory clearance. How quickly the AEC processes the October submissions will determine whether NTPC's 2 GW interim target by 2032 is credible.

Strategic context

The October submissions come at a moment when India is actively broadening its nuclear vendor base. A memorandum of understanding with EDF has been signed to explore cooperation on new projects in India, World Nuclear News reported. NTPC has also conducted due diligence with Uranium Corporation of India Limited on overseas uranium assets to secure fuel supply. The combination of the SHANTI Act's new liability framework, active vendor negotiations, and the first AEC feasibility filings from a non-NPCIL operator represents a structural shift from planning to execution — though the gap between 7.5 GW installed today and 100 GW by 2047 means the pace of regulatory and construction progress remains the binding constraint.

Sources

• Indian Infrastructure — NTPC identifies three sites for planned nuclear capacity addition
• World Nuclear News — Indian reactor set to restart as private sector plans progress
• Insights IAS — NTPC's Nuclear Power Expansion (8 October 2026)
• Neutron Bytes — India's SHANTI Bill boosts plans for new nuclear reactors
• Outlook Business — NTPC prepares first feasibility study for nuclear project; to apply for approval soon
• Bioenergy Times — NTPC moves ahead with first standalone nuclear project, set to seek DAE approval
• Indian Masterminds — NTPC Identifies Three Sites in MP, Bihar and Odisha for Nuclear Power Plants, Targets 30 GW by 2047
• Daily Pioneer — NTPC starts site selection studies in Guj, Andhra, Odisha, MP for nuclear projects