The leading regions in terms of the pace of industry development are three states in the western part of India: Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, which accounted for two-thirds of newly-launched solar panels. Last year, solar generation accounted for a total of 73% of the growth in generating capacity, including all types of renewables, nuclear and thermal power plants.
The only reactor brought into operation in 2024 was the fourth power unit of the Kakrapar NPP with a capacity of 700 MW. The facility is equipped with an Indian-made PHWR-700 unit, in which heavy water (deuterium) serves as a coolant. The number of nuclear power units in the country has risen to 20, and their installed capacity has reached 7.5 GW. In the coming years, India will continue to increase its nuclear power capacity: according to the IAEA, seven power units with a total capacity of 5.4 GW were under construction by February 2025, including four new power units at the Kudankulam NPP, which will be equipped with VVER-1000 reactors.
The Indian government also plans to expand the role of private investors in the development of the nuclear industry. Under the law adopted in 1962, only state-owned companies have the right to own nuclear power plants in India. In 2016, the country allowed the creation of public-private partnerships for the construction of power units, although private companies still cannot be their sole owners. In the course of deregulating the nuclear industry, the government could follow the steps it took in the space sector, where restrictions were lifted for private companies in 2020 and for foreign investors in 2024.
The development of nuclear and renewable energy will allow India to raise the capacity of low-carbon sources to 500 GW by 2030: this goal was announced by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow. Last year, the total capacity of low-carbon sources exceeded 200 GW.
However, coal still provides more than 70% of India’s power output. According to Global Energy Monitor, a total of 5.8 GW of coal-fired TPPs was launched across India in 2024, the second-largest capacity launch after China (30.5 GW).
