India has a flourishing and largely indigenous nuclear power program and expects to have 20,000 MWe nuclear capacity on line by 2020, subject to an opening of international trade. It aims to supply 25% of electricity from nuclear power by 2050. Because India is outside the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty, due to its weapons program, it is largely excluded from trade in nuclear plant or materials, which has hampered its development of civil nuclear energy. The nuclear weapons capability of India has arisen independently of its civil nuclear fuel cycle and uses indigenous uranium. Because of its relative isolation in international trade and lack of indigenous uranium, India has uniquely been developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium. Electricity demand in India has been increasing rapidly, and the 534 billion kilowatt hours produced in 2002 was almost double the 1990 output, though still representing only 505 kWh per capita for the year. In 2005 599 billion kWh was produced. The per capita figure is expected to almost triple by 2020, with 6.3% annual growth. Coal provides 69% of the electricity at present, but reserves are limited.
Nuclear power supplied 15.6 billion kWh (2.6%) of India's electricity in 2006 from 3.5 GWe (of 110 GWe total) capacity and this will increase steadily as new plants come on line. India's fuel situation, with shortage of fossil fuels, is driving the nuclear investment for electricity, and 25% nuclear contributi
