India: Slow Pace of Indigenous Newbuilds Irks Lawmakers

India's 700 megawatt pressurized heavy-water reactor, dubbed the "IPHWR," is intended to be the workhorse of the Indian nuclear power program. New Delhi plans to bring 16 of the indigenous reactors on line by 2031, producing some 11.2 gigawatts. But while serious procurement has already been launched for the long-lead items needed for a "fleet mode" project to build 10 IPHWRs nearly simultaneously, there are major questions about the rollout of both the reactors already under construction and the commissioning of the first-of-a-kind reactor, which is India's largest indigenous design.