India's Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has granted siting approval for four 700 MWe nuclear reactors at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan, subject to strict compliance with specified conditions. The reactors will be indigenously developed Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), a part of the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (MBRAPP), to be implemented by Anushakti Vidyut Nigam—a joint venture between Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

The siting approval follows a rigorous three-tier review process and includes terms requiring ongoing adherence to safety stipulations. AERB emphasized that the consent is non-transferable and subject to re-review if any conditions are breached.

This project is part of a broader national initiative under the fleet mode strategy, announced in 2017, to expedite nuclear power development through the construction of ten 700 MWe PHWRs. Apart from Mahi Banswara (four units), fleet mode plants will also be established at Kaiga in Karnataka (two units), Gorakhpur in Haryana (two units), and Chutka in Madhya Pradesh (two units).

The 2015 amendment to the Atomic Energy Act allowed NPCIL to form joint ventures with other public sector undertakings, enabling projects like this to advance India’s nuclear energy capabilities.