Nuclear energy is the fifth-largest source of electricity for India which contributes about 3% of the total electricity generation in the country.
India entered the atomic age, more correctly the nuclear age, on 4th August 1956 when Apsara, India’s first nuclear reactor, went into operation. This reactor was designed and built by India with the nuclear fuel supplied from the United Kingdom under a lease agreement.
India’s second reactor for research purposes, CIRUS, was built with cooperation with Canada and went into operation in the early 1960’s.
India entered into a collaboration with the former Soviet Union in 1988 to build two 1000 MW reactor power units using enriched uranium as fuel.
In 1998, India and Russia decided to embark on this project, and work at the site commenced in 2003. The first unit at Kudankulam went into operation in 2014 and the second in 2016.
India now has 22 reactors in operation (as of 2021), with a combined capacity of 6780 MW. Twelve more reactors are being built.
In 2021, the government stated in the Parliament that nuclear power generation capacity would increase to 22,480 MW by 2031. This figure was reiterated in the Parliament in 2022.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, or NPCIL, is an Indian government-owned corporation with headquarters in Mumbai that is in charge of producing electricity using nuclear energy.
The Department of Atomic Energy (DEA) is responsible for running NPCIL.
List of Operational Nuclear Power Plants in India
| Name | Operational Year | Location | Capacity (MWe) |
| Kakrapar Atomic Power Station | 1993 | Gujarat | 440 |
| (Kalpakkam) Madras Atomic Power Station | 1984 | Tamil Nadu | 440 |
| Narora Atomic Power Station | 1991 | Uttar Pradesh | 440 |
| Rajasthan Atomic Power Station | 1973 | Rajasthan | 1180 |
| Tarapur Atomic Power Station (oldest nuclear facility) | 1969 | Maharashtra | 1400 |
| Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (Largest) | 2013 | Tamil Nadu | 2000 |
| Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant | 2000 | Karnataka | 880 |
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