Given that access to enriched uranium is not a constraint in much of the western world, LWRs are used extensively by the US, Russia and France and now form the backbone of most international
reactor fleets.
State-run power major NTPC is looking at imported Pressurised Water Reactors (PWR) technology for its planned nuclear fleet. The company is in talks with various players across France, Russia and the US, said K Shanmugha Sundaram, Chairman of NTPC Parmanu Urja Nigam Ltd (NPUNL), a subsidiary of NTPC.
Speaking at the Bharat Electricity Summit 2026, Sundaram said NTPC’s planned 30 gigawatt electrical (GWe) capacity will be a mix of both indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) and imported PWRs. NTPC, a Central Public Sector Enterprise under the Ministry of Power, formed NPUNL in January 2025 and plans to build 30 GWe of nuclear power by 2047.
“The combination will be between the existing technology, the proven technology, the cheapest technology, that is PHWR. Then, we will also explore PwR, of course, from various players across France, Russia, and even the US. We are exploring that,” he said, adding that a certain percentage will also include small modular reactors.
On the Centre’s target of 100 GWe of nuclear power by 2047, he said around 70-75% of the capacity will be provided by the government sector while the rest will be provided by private players. The chairman said the target is not difficult to achieve if finance is available. “Because it needs a lot of money. Rs 20 lakh crore capital. The availability of cheaper financing, cost-affecting tariff, availability of supply chain, man-power, and public perception, are crucial,” he added.
While PHWRs use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as both coolant and moderator, PWRs are light water reactors (LWR) that use enriched uranium as fuel and ordinary water as the moderator as well as the coolant.
LWRs entail a simpler design and engineering compared to heavy water reactors given that they use normal water as both coolant and moderator. So, they have some degree of overlap with the technology used by regular thermal power units (coal-fired and gas-based power plants), typically involving lower construction cost and make up most of the global installed nuclear capacity. LWRs are also considered more thermal efficient. They use normal water and need enriched uranium as fuel.
Since access to enriched uranium is not a constraint in the West, LWRs are used extensively by the US, Russia and France. They now form the backbone of most global reactor fleets. On the contrary, PHWRs are prized for fuel flexibility and the ability to operate on natural uranium, an advantage in India’s resource-constrained context but a relative handicap in export markets shaped and dominated by the LWR technology.
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Sundaram was speaking at a strategic session, titled ‘Nuclear power for energy security: delivering scalable and reliable clean power’, alongside Dr Thierry Advocat, Nuclear Counsellor, Embassy of France; Prateek Agarwal, Executive Director, Corporate Planning and Corporate Communication, NPCIL and Ranjay Sharan, President of Nuclear Energy Business at Reliance Industries Ltd.
