India on track to meet 500 GW non-fossil power target by 2030: MNRE Secretary

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New Delhi, (IANS): India is on course to achieve its ambitious target of 500 gigawatts (GW) of non-fossil fuel power capacity by 2030, with a strong pipeline of renewable energy projects already in place, a top government official has said.

India currently has around 260 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity, Santosh Sarangi, Secretary at the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) said while speaking to NDTV Profit.

This means the country needs to add about 240 GW more over the next few years, a goal he said is well within reach.

Sarangi explained that solar power will form the biggest share of upcoming capacity additions, contributing nearly 160 GW.

“Wind energy is expected to add around 30 GW, while the rest will come from a mix of small and large hydro projects and nuclear power. Nuclear energy is likely to add about 8 to 10 GW by 2030,” he stated.

“India could even exceed the 500 GW target if large-scale data centre projects move ahead as planned,” Sarangi added.

He added that electricity demand from data centres is rising rapidly, and many carbon-intensive industries are also looking to shift towards cleaner energy as part of their decarbonisation efforts.

Meanwhile, the government in last month informed that India saw highest-ever renewable energy capacity addition in 2025 at 44.51 GW (till November) which is nearly double as compared to the 24.72 GW during the same period last year.

The total renewable energy installed capacity reached 253.96 GW in November 2025, which is an increase of over 23 per cent as compared to the 205.52 GW in November 2024.The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy said on December 29 said that capacity addition is 34.98 GW, compared to the 20.85 GW during the same period last year. India on track to meet 500 GW non-fossil power target by 2030: MNRE Secretary | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com

Read More........ → January 07, 2026

X-energy 'reserves' Doosan forgings

(Image: Doosan Enerbility)

X-energy of the USA - developer of the Xe-100 high temperature gas-cooled small modular reactor - has signed a reservation agreement with South Korean nuclear component designer and manufacturer Doosan Enerbility for key components for its reactors.

The agreement was signed in Washington DC on 11 December by Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy, and Jongdoo Kim, CEO of Doosan Enerbility’s Nuclear Business Group.

Under the agreement, X-energy pre-emptively secures Doosan Enerbility's forgings. Mid to large-sized forgings, which are required in the manufacturing of the main components of small modular reactors (SMRs), are materials that require a long production lead time. Follow-up agreements on commencing the manufacturing of the SMR forgings and modules are expected to subsequently take place between the two companies.

"As Doosan Enerbility is a leading global supplier of nuclear equipment, equipped with unparalleled capabilities and expertise in this area, it will play a vital role in helping us enter the global market with our Xe-100 reactors," Sell said. "We are proud to be entering into a partnership with Doosan on this major project."

Kim added: "This reservation agreement signed with X-energy is a significant milestone for us, signifying that we are now officially embarking on the manufacturing process. As X-energy's major partner responsible for supplying the main SMR components, we are committed to ensuring full support on the project by strictly adhering to the requirements for product quality and deadline."

The Xe-100 is a pebble bed high-temperature gas reactor capable of a thermal output of 200 MW or (80 MW electrical). It uses fuel made from robust TRISO (tri-structural isotropic) fuel particles which are able to withstand extremely high temperatures without melting. Optimised as a four-unit plant delivering 320 MWe, the reactor can provide baseload power to an electricity system or use its thermal output to support industrial applications with high pressure, high temperature steam.

The first deployment of the Xe-100 is planned for Dow’s Seadrift site on the Texas Gulf Coast, to supply both power and high-temperature heat to industrial-scale operations. X-energy and Amazon have also committed to the goal of more than 5 GW of new nuclear by 2039, starting with a joint plan with Washington state utility Energy Northwest to build up to 12 SMRs near Energy Northwest's Columbia Generating Station.

In August 2021, Doosan Heavy signed an engineering service contract with X-energy for studies into the manufacture of major components - including the reactor pressure vessel - for the Xe-100. Under the contract, Doosan is supporting the development of the reactor by performing a study for its optimum design in terms of manufacturability. It is also conducting mock-up tests for critical manufacturing processes.

In January 2023, Doosan Enerbility announced it was making an equity investment in X-energy, leading to further strengthening of the partnership.A strategic collaboration agreement was signed in August this year by X-energy, Amazon, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Corporation (KHNP) and Doosan Enerbility aimed at accelerating the deployment of X-energy's Xe-100 and TRISO-X fuel to meet growing power demands from data centres and artificial intelligence. KHNP, Doosan, and additional Korean industrial partners have agreed to support Amazon and X-energy's plans to deploy more than 5 GW of new nuclear energy across the USA by 2039. X-energy 'reserves' Doosan forgings

Read More........ → December 22, 2025

UK’s Sizewell C achieves financing landmark

How the new plant could look (Image: Sizewell C)

The Sizewell C project to build two of EDF’s EPR reactors on England’s east coast has reached Financial Close, including GBP5 billion (USD6.5 billion) in export credit financing by BpifranceAE as well as debt financing from the UK’s National Wealth Fund.

France's EDF, announcing the financial closing of the project, said it would invest a maximum of GBP1.1 billion during the construction period and would have a stake of 12.5%, with the UK government having 44.9%, La Caisse 20%, Centrica 15% and Amber Infrastructure 7.6%.

It added: "EDF will not invest new cash at financial close due to the reimbursement of the development costs incurred since 2015 and a payment in return for the Hinkley Point C project expertise that Sizewell C benefits from, as well as the series effect."

Thirteen banks have supported the GBP5 billion debt raise: ABN Amro Bank; Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria; Santander CIB; BNP Paribas; Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank; CaixaBank; Citibank; Crédit Industriel et Commercial; HSBC Bank; Lloyds Bank; National Westminster Bank; Natixis and Societe Generale.

Sizewell C said "this landmark moment sees funding for the project beginning to flow, unlocking full-scale construction of the Suffolk-based plant".

The plan is for the estimated GBP38 billion Sizewell C plant to feature two EPR reactors producing 3.2 GW of electricity, enough to power the equivalent of around six million homes for at least 60 years. It would be a similar design to the two-unit plant being built at Hinkley Point C in Somerset, with the aim of building it more quickly and at lower cost as a result of the experience gained from what is the first new nuclear construction project in the UK for about three decades. A final investment decision for the Sizewell C project was taken in July this year.

Sizewell C has used the Regulated Asset Base (RAB) funding model, which will see consumers contributing towards the cost of new nuclear power plants during the construction phase. Under the previous Contracts for Difference system developers finance the construction of a nuclear project and only begin receiving revenue when the power plant starts generating electricity.

Sizewell C said the "financing model attracts private investment that would not otherwise be possible. Government estimates that using the RAB can save consumers GBP30 billion, compared with other models, as a result of lower financing costs".

UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "By backing nuclear we are creating thousands of high-quality jobs across the country, supporting British supply chains and keeping the lights on with homegrown energy for generations to come."

Tom Greatrex, Chief Executive of the Nuclear Industry Association, the trade association for the UK’s civil nuclear industry, said: "Reaching financial close for Sizewell C is a landmark moment for the UK's clean energy future. It proves that new nuclear can attract significant investment - a vital step towards energy security, skilled jobs, and achieving net zero. The financing model used for Sizewell C is crucial to unlocking further private investment in new nuclear projects, cutting our reliance on fossil fuels, and driving an industrial revival across Britain."

EDF also noted the wider benefits for the French state-owned group: "The EDF group will contribute to the project as a supplier of engineering studies (EDF/Edvance), the main primary circuit including the nuclear boiler, steam generators and safety control system (Framatome) and, for the conventional island, the turbo-alternator unit (Arabelle Solutions). For the French nuclear industry more broadly with some 40 French suppliers, it will help to perpetuate skills, capitalise on experience and generate economies of scale for the EPR2 programme in France."Sizewell C said that Clifford Chance acted as legal adviser, Rothschild & Co acted as lead financial adviser across equity, debt and credit ratings, and BNP Paribas acted as joint debt financial adviser to Sizewell C on the capital raise. HSBC acted as French Authorities and Green Loan Coordinator, alongside Santander CIB as Documentation Coordinator on the GBP5 billion export credit backed facility. UK’s Sizewell C achieves financing landmark

Read More........ → November 13, 2025