Draft:Bharat small modular reactor

• Comment: You’ve made a great start, and the article is getting closer to passing notability, but isn’t there yet. To pass notability, It requires 2-3 sources which are reliable, independent, secondary sources, which talk at length about the topic of the article. Unfortunately the sources you have so far aren’t quite there. Two are PR releases, which unfortunately do not count as reliable, and are also primary sources. Another two are more solid, but only mention BSMR reactors in passing while focusing on other things. The first reference is great, but we need another couple of sources of that same quality. Good luck and keep up the good work 👍 Absurdum4242 (talk) 07:02, 14 October 2025 (UTC)

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Bharat Small Modular Reactor Class
Kaiga Atomic Power Plant, showing four IPHWR-220 reactors, on which the BSMR is based
Generation	Generation III+ reactor
Reactor concept	compact pressurized heavy-water reactor (Small Modular reactor)
Reactor line	BSMR
Designed by	Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, NPCIL
Manufactured by	NPCIL
Status	Under Development
Main parameters of the reactor core
Fuel (fissile material)	235U (NU/SEU/LEU)
Fuel state	Solid
Neutron energy spectrum	Thermal
Primary control method	control rods
Primary moderator	Heavy water
Primary coolant	Heavy water
Reactor usage
Primary use	Providing process heat for captive use
Power (thermal)	680 MWth
Power (electric)	220 MWe

The Bharat Small Modular Reactor abbreviated as BSMR is a small modular reactor design being developed in India by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai. It is a derivative of the IPHWR-220 reactor with innovative safety features and economic benefits. It is a compact pressurized heavy water reactor. It is being developed under the Nuclear Energy Mission of the Government of India. It is an initiative towards the 'Net zero goal'.

NPCIL has asked for orders from private companies for construction of the reactors at their manufacturing sites. As of October 2025, six companies including Tata Power, JSW Group, Jindal Steel and Reliance Industries have responded to it.

History

The Government of India, in the Union Budget of 2025-26 announced the Nuclear Energy Mission, which set the goal of a 100GWe installed capacity. Under this mission, India is developing the BSMR, a gas cooled high temperature reactor along with a fleet mode construction of the IPHWR-700.

The Union minister of Science and technology Jitendra Singh, mentioned in an answer given to the Loksabha that it will take around 60-72 weeks to construct the reactor. He also mentioned the the conceptual design for the BSMR had been completed in March 2025, and detailed analysis of safety and details of the design were being prepared at the BARC. He also said that the reactor will be fuelled be slightly enriched uranium (SEU). He also stated that the BSMR is a modified version of the IPHWR. The minister also informed the parliament that the first units will be built at a BARC campus at Vizag, Andhra Pradesh at an estimated cost of ₹5700 crores and construction is expected to begin within few years.

On 12th August 2025, NPCIL signed a MoU with Engineers India Limited (EIL) to provide engineering services for the design and development of the BSMR reactor.

Design

PRESSURIZED HEAVY WATER REACTOR

The BSMR reactor is a horizontal pressure tube type. It is derived from the IPHWR-220 reactor by compacting it's design. These tubes are housed in a horizontal vessel called Calandria. It is filled with heavy water moderator. The each independent tubes are in tubes with circulating carbon dioxide gas called as annulus gas. The tubes contain 12 fuel assemblies/bundles each and circulating pressurized heavy water coolant. This coolant collects heat from the fuel (slightly enriched uranium dioxide) and transfers it to the secondary coolant water to generate steam in the steam generators. This steam turns the turbine. This steam is condensed, reheated, deaerated and pumped back to the reactor. The moderator heavy water is kept circulating and is maintained at around 70 degrees Celsius by cooling it in an external heat exchanger circuit. The fission chain reaction is controlled using control rods of cadmium or boron. There is an emergency scram system to inject a poison called gadolinium nitrate in the moderator. The reactors can be refuelled while on full power giving additional advantages. These reactors are highly safe. They have many innovative safety systems. The reactor will be equipped with a advanced control and safety systems, such as a advance natural circulation system, passive heat removal system(PHRS), etc. They form the part of India's Nuclear Energy Mission to achieve 100GWe nuclear capacity by 2047, and the net zero goal' of 2070. It is being developed for captive and maritime use.

Future Plans

In the Budget of FY 25-26, the central government, has allocated ₹20,000 crores, for development of nuclear power reactors, specifically Small modular reactor. Work is underway at the BARC, for the BSMR, along with a 55MWe SMR, and also a 5MWth HTGR for green hydrogen production through thermochemical sulfur-iodine cycle. Also the government aims to commission five indigenous SMRs by 2033, as specified by the Nuclear Energy Mission announced in 2025.

Also, the NPCIL has asked the state governments of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujrat, Jharkhand, Tamilnadu, etc. for recommending potential sites for the reactors, and secure water supply for them. The reactors and other components of the plants, will be manufactured in India itself by engineering giants such as BHEL, L&T, etc.

The Government of India is also working on amendment to the Atomic Energy Act 1948 and Atomic Energy Act 1962 to allow private sector involvement in nuclear power and help expand the capacity. Work is also underway to develop the BSMR for maritime use such as on cargo ships. The maritime department with the DAE is working on the project. This will reduce emissions from shipping sector and also help India make a leader in the ship building sector.

References

Category:Small modular reactor Category:Nuclear power in India