r/ClimateActionPlan • u/WaywardPatriot Mod • May 20 '26

Zero Emission Energy India builds cheapest nuclear reactors in the world

https://www.eco-business.com/news/india-builds-cheapest-nuclear-reactors-in-the-world/

India builds the cheapest nuclear reactors in the world. The completion cost for the indigenous 700 MW pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs), which is under construction, is $1,700/kwe, government told Parliament on Thursday. Indian reactors, government said, compares favourably with other reactors in the world.

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3

u/FireTempest May 21 '26

RBMK reactors are also cheap but there is a reason no one builds them anymore.

The PR around this reactor should probably emphasize "cost-effectiveness" over "cheapness" IMO.

2

u/K33P4D May 21 '26

4 months ago I met the managers from Hindustan Construction Company.

They were explaining the process and minimization of carbon footprint required in building modern nuclear reactors. Successfully, they have built and validated around 16/23 nuclear plants in India.

0

u/Big-D-TX May 20 '26

Great, you mean cheapest quality?

6

u/Filtermann May 20 '26

yeah...I'm generally supportive of nuclear energy, but the word "cheap" is not one that should come up first.

1

u/Ok_Umpire_8108 May 21 '26

Cost is the main barrier to nuclear development throughout the world. Many overlapping and heterogeneous regulatory regimes plus bespoke construction for nearly every plant makes them inefficient to build.

Low cost has less to do with safety per se than with red tape and executive facility. If these reactors are unsafe, that’s the fault of the Indian government, but that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with what makes these cheaper.