Kolkata: The Centre is seriously contemplating setting up Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) to meet the growing power needs in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A team of scientists from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, is presently at Sri Vijaya Puram (formerly Port Blair) to select possible sites where the SMRs can be set up.
On Friday, September 4, 2026, the first day of their visit, the team called on Admiral D K Joshi (Retd), Lieutenant Governor, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and gave a presentation on the potential sites and other relevant features of the proposed plan. Over the next four days, the team will visit the three districts of the island chain to study the proposed sites.
The Great Nicobar Project, which envisages a deep-sea port, an international container transhipment terminal and an airport, will result in greater demand for electricity. The archipelago has no power plants as conventional ones cannot be built there. The entire power supply to the islands comes from diesel generator sets operated with fuel shipped from the mainland. This mode of power generation may not suffice when commercial demand rises.
Over the years, the government has worked on several plans to find an alternative to the highly polluting diesel generators on the islands. Plans for an offshore LNG re-gasification plant have not worked out as yet. A proposal to tap geothermal energy is presently being looked into, but it could be years before the basic studies about the sources are completed.
Under the circumstances, the setting up of SMRs seems the most feasible solution at the moment. The SMRs can be custom-built to meet the requirements of islands and require small spaces as compared to full-scale nuclear plants. They are also easier to manage.
Admiral Joshi (Retd), who is also the vice-chairman of the Islands Development Agency, is in favour of SMRs for overall development of the islands. During the Power Ministers’ Roundtable at the Bharat Electricity Summit 2026, held earlier this year, the Lieutenant Governor strongly advocated for the consideration of SMRs for select locations across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
As the former Indian Navy chief, he knows the importance of development on the strategically important islands that are over 1,000 km from the mainland.
The Great Nicobar Project will allow the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force greater access to the Six Degree Channel that leads to the Strait of Malacca. This vital choke point connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea.
At the Roundtable, Admiral Joshi (Retd) pointed to how several countries situated in Seismic Zone-V are successfully operating similar nuclear power systems, including offshore barge-mounted floating plants. SMRs offer advantages such as rapid scalability and the potential for freshwater generation through associated cooling systems, he emphasised.
According to sources, the Lieutenant Governor showed keen interest in the presentation made by the BARC team and assured all assistance.
(IANS)
