Lok Sabha Question No. 3006 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-03-11
Subject: Development of Small Modular Reactors
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Shri Appalanaidu Kalisetti

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO -3006 ANSWERED ON 11/03/2026

## DEVELOPMENT OF SMALL MODULAR REACTORS

## 3006.   SHRI APPALANAIDU KALISETTI

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state :-

- (a) the  details  of  the  number  of  Small  Modular  Reactor  (SMR)  projects  that  have  been approved  granted  in-principle  clearance  or  are  presently  under  examination  by  the Department of Atomic Energy;
- (b) the  details  of  SMRs  under  development,  including  their  present  stage  of  progress, design and capacity-wise;
- (c) the details of financial allocations made  for SMR  research, development and demonstration during the last three Union Budget cycles along with the estimated cost of the BSMR-200 and other proposed demonstration units;
- (d) whether any public sector undertakings, private industrial entities or State Governments have expressed interest in hosting or partnering in SMR projects and if so, the details thereof;
- (e) the  names  of  the  States  where  feasibility  studies  for  SMR  deployment  have  been initiated;
- (f) whether any proposal has been submitted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh and if so, the details thereof; and
- (g) the  expected  timeline  for  commissioning  the  first  SMR  demonstration  units  and  for scaling up to commercial deployment?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

(a)(b)&(c)   Under the Nuclear Energy Mission announced in the Union Budget 2025 -26, a total  budgetary  provision  of  ₹20,000  crore  has  been  made  for  the  research,  design, development, and deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has undertaken design and development works on SMRs namely,

- (i) 220 MWe Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR-200),
- (ii) 55 MWe Small Modular Reactor (SMR-55), and

(iii) Up to 5 MWth High temperature gas cooled reactor meant for hydrogen generation. The lead units of these SMRs will be established at DAE sites for technology demonstration. The  estimated  utilisation  of  the  allocated  funds  by  BARC  toward  setting  up  SMRs  is mentioned below:

| Reactor                                                                |   Cost Outlay (Rs Cr.) |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------|
| Development and Construction of BSMR-200                               |                   5960 |
| Development and Construction of SMR-55 (2 units)                       |                   7000 |
| Design and construction of High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGCR) |                    320 |
| Design, engineering &development works for new reactors                |                    800 |
| Civil and General Infrastructure Development for reactors complex      |                    452 |

## The progress of these SMRs is as follows;

- i) BSMR-200: AEC in-principle approval has been received for the project. Proposal for administrative & financial sanction is cleared by Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) for submission of the proposal to the Cabinet Committee.
2. ii) SMR-55: In-principle approval has been received for the project.
3. iii) HTGCR:  In-principle  approval  has  been  received  for  the  project.  Detailed  Project Report  (DPR)  has  been  prepared.  Siting  consent  has  been  received  and  Terms  of Reference  (ToR)  for  obtaining  environmental  clearances  has  been  received  from Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
4. (d) Lead units of these SMRs will be constructed by DAE at its existing sites. So far, PSUs like Engineers India Limited and Bharat Heavy Electrical Limited (BHEL) have been contacted for detailed engineering of SMRs.
5. (e) Tarapur Atomic Power Station site, Maharashtra has been identified for lead units of BSMR-200 and SMR-55 whereas Vizag, Andhra Pradesh site of BARC is identified for High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactor (HTGCR).
6. (f) At present no such proposal is received in Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
7. (g) Bharat  Small  Modular  Reactor  (BSMR)  is  being  jointly  designed  and  developed  by BARC and Nuclear power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). Estimated time for construction of BSMR is 60 to 72 months from receipt of administrative & financial approval.

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