India’s Maharashtra government has signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) for four projects aimed at generating 25,400 MWe of nuclear power at a projected cost of INR6,500bn ($79bn). The MOUs were signed with Adani Power, Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), NTPC Limited, and the Lalitpur Power Generation Company Limited (part of the Bajaj Group).
According to the Energy Department, representatives of three of the four companies attended the MOU signing ceremony, while the Lalitpur Power Generation Company will complete the formalities later, as its officials were abroad.
This follows new legislation, which opened India’s civil nuclear power sector to private companies. In December 2025, the Parliament adopted the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, which, among other things, ended state monopoly on nuclear power generation. In the 2025-26 Union budget, the central government launched the Nuclear Energy Mission to expand India’s nuclear power capacity.
Adani Power plans to invest INR1,500bn in Maharashtra to generate 6,000 MWe at the coastal village of Barsu in the Konkan region creating employment for 12,000. However, the location is controversial. A proposed oil refinery had faced opposition from local residents, environmental activists and political groups over concerns related to land acquisition and environmental degradation in an ecologically sensitive area.
RIL proposed investing INR2,000bn for a 7,200 MWe NPP at Purnagadh in the Ratnagiri district which would create employment opportunities for some 100,000. NTPC has said it would invest INR1,000bn to generate 7,200 MWe in Devgad in Sindhudurg district creating around 5,000 jobs. The Lalitpur Power Generation Company plans to invest INR2,000bn for projects expected to generate 5,000 MWe and to create around 3,000 jobs. The company has not yet identified a site.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked the companies to expedite the implementation of the agreements and to begin surveys to determine project locations. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a goal of making India an energy-rich nation and achieving zero carbon emissions. Maharashtra is making every possible effort to fulfil this objective, he said. “Investments coming into the state’s clean energy sector will certainly strengthen the country’s journey towards becoming an energy-rich nation.”
He added: “We will extend full support from the state government to companies investing in the clean energy sector. Investment in nuclear energy will accelerate Maharashtra’s progress in power generation. These projects will not only strengthen the energy sector but also create large-scale employment opportunities. Maharashtra will continue to remain at the forefront of clean energy generation in the country.”
Maharashtra state currently has one operational NPP and one major proposed NPP project. The Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS) in Palghar district, India’s first commercial nuclear power station, operates four units managed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). Units 1&2 are boiling water reactors (BWRs), downrated from 210 MWe to 160 MWe. Units 3&4 are pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR) with a capacity of 540 MWe each, commissioned in 2005 and 2006.
Another NPP is proposed for Jaitapur in Ratnagiri district with a planned capacity of 9,900 MWe. The plan includes building six European Pressurised Reactors (EPRs) of 1,650 MWe each in collaboration with Electricité de France (EDF). Land acquisition has been processed but construction remains stalled due to local environmental protests and nuclear liability policy discussions.
