NPCIL signs Engineers India for Bharat Small Modular Reactor design

Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) has signed an MoU with Engineers India Limited (EIL) to provide design and engineering services for the Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR). The agreement was signed on 12 August at NPCIL’s Mumbai office.

The project supports the government’s plan to expand nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047, up from the current 8,180 MW. The 200 MW BSMR, based on pressurised water reactor technology, is being developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and NPCIL.

The concept design was completed in April 2025, and detailed engineering is underway. The Union Budget 2025-26 allocated Rs 20,000 crore under a Nuclear Energy Mission to build at least five indigenously designed SMRs by 2033.

The first BSMR200 unit is expected within six years of financial approval, with commissioning planned in the seventh year at an estimated cost of Rs 5,700 crore. Components will be sourced from domestic vendors, with EPC firms handling construction and commissioning.

The government has left open the option of using imported enriched uranium if required. Standardisation of the design is expected to reduce costs in future units.