New Delhi, July 20: In a significant development, Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Atomic Energy, and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said the India’s Nuclear power capacity is set to triple by 2031.
He was informing the Rajya Sabha about India's surging Nuclear Power capacity. He said the present installed nuclear power capacity is poised to increase from 7,480 MW to an impressive 22,480 MW by 2031, signifying a commendable threefold growth.
He said currently, India's nuclear power capacity stands at 7,480 MW, with 23 nuclear power reactors contributing significantly to the nation's electricity generation.
“In the year 2022-23 alone, the nuclear power reactors generated 46,982 Million Units of electricity, including infirm generation”.
He said despite the massive generation, the share of nuclear power in the total electricity generation in the country was around 2.8% in the same year.
Dr. Jitendra Singh reiterated that the ambitious expansion of the installed nuclear power capacity is a result of progressive completion of ongoing projects and sanctioned initiatives. The government has also granted 'in principle' approval for new sites to set up nuclear reactors in the future, reflecting a commitment to bolster India's nuclear energy capabilities.
On a separate note, responding to another question, Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the impressive strides made by the National Biopharma Mission (NBM) in the Biopharma sector. The NBM, an industry-academia collaborative program, aims to accelerate discovery research for biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diagnostics, fostering inclusive innovation in India.
The NBM supports over 101 pan-India projects, fostering increased employment opportunities with 1,065 manpower engaged, including 304 scientists and researchers. It caters to more than 150 organizations, including academia, start-ups, and MSMEs, and has facilitated the establishment of 11 shared facilities for providing testing, validating, and manufacturing services to start-ups and MSMEs in the biopharmaceutical arena.
The Mission also focuses on developing affordable product leads for vaccines, biosimilars, medical devices, and diagnostics relevant to public health needs. Additionally, it emphasizes strengthening shared facilities for product development and validation, offering specific training to address critical skill gaps, and establishing technology transfer offices to enhance industry-academia inter-linkages.
Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted the government's commitment to fostering a robust ecosystem for bio pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and diagnostics, driving India towards self-reliance and innovation in the biopharma sector.
