Around April 13, 2026, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) granted excavation clearance for the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (MBRAPP), located in Banswara district of Rajasthan, allowing the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to begin major civil excavation work for the reactor buildings. MBRAPP is a fleet-mode project that will host four 700 MW indigenously designed Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), for a total installed capacity of 2,800 MW, making it one of the largest nuclear power clusters approved in India after Kudankulam. The 4x700 MW PHWR fleet was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in 2017 as part of a ten-reactor fleet-mode programme intended to standardise design, accelerate construction and reduce costs through bulk procurement. The Banswara site was selected after site evaluation under the AERB's multi-stage consenting process, which covers siting, construction, commissioning and operation, with independent safety review at each step. Excavation clearance means that NPCIL can now remove overburden, carry out foundation-level excavation for reactor and auxiliary buildings and start site infrastructure such as batching plants, labour colonies and internal roads, while AERB's construction consent is still to be granted before concrete can be poured for nuclear safety structures. The Rajasthan government has been supporting the project through land, water from the Mahi dam system, power evacuation arrangements and employment-linked rehabilitation. For Rajasthan, MBRAPP is significant because it will add clean baseload power, diversify the state's energy mix beyond coal and renewables, and create skilled jobs in the predominantly tribal southern belt. For India, it is significant because the 700 MW PHWR (first commissioned at Kakrapar Unit 3) is an indigenous design, and the MBRAPP fleet will help India progress towards its non-fossil capacity target while also supporting the goals of the recently enacted SHANTI Bill opening up private investment in nuclear.
AERB Grants Excavation Clearance for Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project; 4x700 MW PHWR Fleet-Mode Reactor Project Moves Forward
AERB granted excavation clearance for the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (MBRAPP) on March 26, 2026. MBRAPP will host four 700 MW indigenous PHWRs (2,800 MW total) in fleet mode, approved by CCEA in 2017. The project will add clean baseload power to Rajasthan, diversify its energy mix beyond coal and renewables, and create skilled jobs in the tribal southern belt.
Key facts
- AERB issued excavation approval for MBRAPP Units 1 & 2 on March 26, 2026
- Located in Banswara district of Rajasthan
- Four 700 MW indigenous PHWR units, total 2,800 MW
- Approved by CCEA in 2017 as part of 10-reactor fleet-mode programme
- Implemented by ASHVINI, the NPCIL-NTPC joint venture
- Will add clean baseload power and diversify state energy mix
- Complements the 2025 SHANTI Bill opening nuclear sector to private investment
- Important for tribal southern belt jobs and skills
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The Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (MBRAPP) will host which configuration of nuclear reactors?
MBRAPP is planned as a 4x700 MW fleet of indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, for a total installed capacity of 2,800 MW. The 700 MW PHWR is India's largest indigenous nuclear reactor design, first commissioned at Kakrapar Unit 3 and then at Unit 4. In 2017, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved ten such reactors to be built in fleet mode at sites including Kaiga, Gorakhpur (Haryana) and Mahi Banswara, with standardised designs and accelerated construction. MBRAPP does not host VVER or EPR reactors (which are imported designs), nor does it host BWRs.
Source: Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
Frequently asked questions
What is MBRAPP?
MBRAPP is the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project, a proposed nuclear power plant in Banswara district, Rajasthan, comprising four 700 MW indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors with a total installed capacity of 2,800 MW.
What is AERB?
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) is the nuclear safety regulator of India, established in 1983 under the Atomic Energy Act 1962. It grants consents for siting, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning of nuclear and radiation facilities based on independent safety review.
What is fleet mode?
Fleet mode refers to building several nuclear reactors of the same design in a coordinated manner to standardise engineering, accelerate construction, reduce costs and shorten the overall programme. In 2017, CCEA approved ten indigenous 700 MW PHWRs to be built in fleet mode.
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