India’s federal government has urged states to accelerate approvals of nuclear and battery energy storage systems on their territories in a push to boost energy security amid soaring power demand, Indian newspaper the Economic Times reported on Monday.
As many as 15 states or territories need “accelerated action” on clearances for proposed nuclear power plants and battery energy storage systems, the central government told chief ministers and officials from all states during a meeting last week, ET has learnt.
India has identified nearly three dozen sites for nuclear power reactors, but clearances for land allocation have been slow to obtain, according to the federal government. Several states have also been urged to complete clearances for battery storage systems, as India prepares for a major surge in its power demand due to urbanization and the data center boom.
At the end of 2025, India’s government approved the landmark Atomic Energy Bill, which allows private companies to invest in its nuclear energy industry for the first time, as the country looks to boost its nuclear power capacity tenfold within two decades.
The so-called SHANTI (Sustainable Harnessing of Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) could drive huge investments from private companies in India’s nuclear energy sector.
But Indian states need to accelerate clearances and approvals for proposed projects, according to the federal government.
A panel set up by India’s power ministry has said in a report that India’s goal to boost its installed nuclear power capacity to 100 gigawatts by 2047, up from just 8.8 GW now, would require as much as 19.28 trillion Indian rupees, or $204 billion at current exchange rates, of cumulative capital.
India has also boosted battery storage in recent years to support the rapid expansion of solar PV capacity installations, but it needs much more to ensure the curtailment rates of renewable energy are reduced.
Solar and batteries can already meet 90% of India’s electricity demand at a competitive levelized cost of electricity of INR 5.06/kWh, clean energy think tank Ember said in a report earlier this year.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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