The Naveen Jindal Group is considering various locations in at least nine states, including Gujarat and Odisha, for the implementation of high-capacity nuclear projects. Furthermore, the group is negotiating with various market participants regarding opportunities to establish partnerships in atomic energy technologies.
As part of its diversification strategy in the energy sector, the group plans to construct nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 18 GW, which will require investments amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees. These projects are intended to contribute to the ambitious national goal of achieving 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047.
The group, which is already active in the steel, mining, energy, renewable energy, and real estate sectors, intends to enter the nuclear industry through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Jindal Nuclear Power Private Limited, which is part of Jindal Renewables.
According to a group representative familiar with the project development, active discussions are underway with several state governments. This source reported that sites are being studied in more than nine states, predominantly coastal ones such as Gujarat, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, as well as Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Site selection is based on a number of criteria, including land availability, water resources, geological and seismic suitability, connection possibilities to power lines, regulatory framework readiness, and long-term project viability.
Regarding the scale of the projects, the representative specified that Large Modular Reactors (LMRs) with a capacity of 700 MW and above are planned for installation. According to industry estimates, creating each 1 GW nuclear power plant requires an investment of between 15,000 to 20,000 crore rupees, and the timeline from concept to commissioning is about three years.
Additionally, the group is collaborating with several parties to secure the necessary nuclear technologies.
