ReNew Chairman &amp; CEO Sumant Sinha on Thursday said <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/maharashtra-cm-devendra-fadnavis-signs-rs-6-5-lakh-crore-nuclear-energy-projects-23631210" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">nuclear projects</a> can be a good "replacement" for coal in the country, &nbsp;if the cost of establishing non-fossil fuel-based power capacity decreases, according to news agency PTI.
He said the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) cost for setting up nuclear projects tends to be much higher in the country.
"Right now we (India) produce about less than 10 GW of nuclear capacity. Most of that is relatively expensive because EPC costs tend to go much higher than what was originally anticipated," Sinha said at Bloomberg New Economy Forum 2026.
While Sinha did not share any details on the cost involved in setting up a nuclear project in India, according to industry estimates, a 1 GW nuclear plant requires an investment of Rs 15,000-20,000 crore and typically takes at least three years from concept to commissioning.
<h2>Nuclear a like-to-like replacement for coal</h2>
Replying to a question related to the scope of nuclear power in India, Sinha pointed out that reducing the high setup costs of nuclear plants is crucial for wider adoption, as many might not opt for it as it would not be economically viable.
"...it's not clear to me what the eventual cost of the nuclear power is going to be and India has a pretty cost-sensitive market. So if the cost is a lot higher, then I don't see a lot of people adopting nuclear that easily. But having said that, it is a bit of a like-to-like replacement for coal," he said.
The Indian government has set a target to scale up the country's nuclear capacity target to 100 GW by 2047 by adding around 91 GW to the current 8.8 GW.
"We want to have 100 gigawatts of <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/business/business-news/article/adani-group-gautam-adani-announces-aims-to-build-10-gigawatts-nuclear-capacity-by-2035-23636624" target="_blank" rel="none noopener">nuclear capacity</a>, which is a 10x growth in the next 20 years. ...you can argue that if you can get the price of nuclear down, in longer term, it'll be a good thing to replace coal with," Sinha said.
<h2>India's 2047 nuclear capacity will need investment of Rs 15 lakh crore</h2>
On Wednesday, Central Electricity Authority (CEA) Chairman Ghanshyam Prasad said India will require an investment of Rs 15 lakh crore to add 91 gigawatt of nuclear capacity by 2047.
CEA is a body that advises the Centre on matters related to the national electricity policy. Out of India's 100 GW nuclear power goal, 46 GW will come from<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/maharashtra-hydropower-plants-revival-through-pvt-public-sector-firms-23370024" target="_blank" rel="none noopener"> public sector undertakings, private players</a> and joint ventures, Prasad had said.
He had said India's nuclear capacity is expected to be 22 GW by 2030-31. The nuclear capacity will help meet peak power demand, which is expected to reach 459 GW by 2035-36 from 250 GW in 2024-25, he had said.
(With inputs from PTI)

India aims to scale up the country`s nuclear capacity target to 100 GW by 2047. It plans to add  around 91 GW to the current 8.8 GW

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