Due to India's rising energy needs, New Delhi has made nuclear power one of its key policy initiatives, despite significant local protests, a lack of domestic uranium supplies and the possession of only rudimentary nuclear technology. Although India possesses significant reserves of thorium, an alternative nuclear fuel, the country lacks the technological expertise to take advantage of those domestic reserves. India's 20 nuclear power plants currently supply about 2 percent of overall domestic electricity consumption, but New Delhi hopes to add 63 gigawatts of nuclear power within the next two decades. This increase would raise nuclear power's overall share of domestic electricity production to 8 percent by 2030. However, India's status as a non-signatory nation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty has complicated its efforts not only to source nuclear fuel, but also to attract large-scale investment into the government-controlled nuclear power sector. Nuclear power cannot meaningfully reduce India's reliance on coal-based electricity production, due to its high cost and the lack of substantial domestic uranium reserves.
