Sri Vijaya Puram, Sept. 5: A team of scientists from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has begun assessing potential sites across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), as the Centre considers nuclear power to meet the archipelago’s projected electricity requirements.
The BARC team, from the Department of Atomic Energy, is currently in Sri Vijaya Puram for the site-selection exercise. On Friday, the first day of its visit, the scientists called on Lieutenant Governor Admiral D K Joshi (Retd) and made a presentation covering potential locations and other features of the proposed SMR plan. The team is scheduled to inspect sites across all three districts over the following four days.
The proposed reactors are being considered against the backdrop of rising power requirements linked to major infrastructure plans, including the Great Nicobar Project, which envisages a deep-sea port, an international container transhipment terminal and an airport.
The islands currently depend entirely on diesel generator sets operated using fuel transported from the mainland, as conventional power plants cannot be built in the archipelago. The existing arrangement could face greater pressure as commercial electricity demand increases.
The government has considered alternatives to diesel-based generation, including an offshore LNG re-gasification plant, although that plan has not materialised. Geothermal energy is also under consideration, but basic studies on the island chain’s geothermal resources could take years to complete.
Against this backdrop, SMRs are being examined as an option that can be configured for island requirements while occupying less space than conventional nuclear power plants. The source material also notes that such reactors are considered easier to manage.
Admiral Joshi, who also serves as vice-chairman of the Islands Development Agency, has previously advocated consideration of SMRs at selected locations in the islands. At the Power Ministers’ Roundtable during the Bharat Electricity Summit 2026, he had highlighted SMRs as an option for the archipelago and referred to countries in Seismic Zone-V operating similar nuclear power systems, including offshore barge-mounted floating plants.
He also cited their potential for rapid scalability and freshwater generation through associated cooling systems.
The strategic importance of the islands has also featured in the case for expanding infrastructure. Located more than 1,000 km from the mainland, the archipelago occupies a position close to the Six Degree Channel leading towards the Strait of Malacca, a maritime chokepoint connecting the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea.
The Great Nicobar Project is expected to increase access for the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force to the strategically important channel.
According to sources, the Lieutenant Governor showed keen interest in the BARC presentation and assured assistance to the visiting team as it undertakes the site assessment.
