Global Nuclear Security and India's Nuclear Program

RUSI NSW Lecture Tuesday 27 October 2026

Topic: Global Nuclear Security and India's Nuclear Program

Speaker: Dr Raji Pillai Rajagopalan - Resident Senior Fellow, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Lecture at the Anzac Memorial Auditorium, Hyde Park South, Sydney 1pm - 2pm     

Networking opportunity from 12noon to 1pm, before the lecture - all are welcome.

Stay informed:  

World Nuclear Association – Nuclear Power in India Report

• India has a largely indigenous nuclear power programme.

• The Indian government is committed to growing its nuclear power capacity as part of its massive infrastructure development programme.

• The government has set an ambitious target to grow nuclear capacity to at least 100 GWe by 2047

• Because India is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its weapons programme, it was for 34 years largely excluded from trade in nuclear plant and materials, which hampered its development of civil nuclear energy until 2009.

• Since 2010, a fundamental incompatibility between India’s civil liability law and international conventions limits foreign technology provision.

• Due to earlier trade bans and lack of indigenous uranium, India has uniquely been developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium.  

• 24 Operable Reactors 7,935 Mwe 8 Reactors Under Construction 6,028 Mwe 1 Reactor Shutdown 135 MWe

Source: https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/country-profiles/countries-g-n/india

A New Chapter in India's Nuclear Journey – Government of India

Source: https://www.pib.gov.in/FactsheetDetails.aspx?Id=150617&lang=1®=3

RUSI NSW Members: FREE admission, Visitors: $15, ADF serving personnel: FREE admission. Pre-ordered and paid sandwiches served at 12.00am

Book and pay by the Friday before the event or pay at the door.  To order and pay via credit card - https://rusinsw.org.au/site/ActPay.php

Dr Rajagopalan Image sourced from speaker.  

Image description: Indian and Bangladeshi Prime Ministers Inaugurate Rooppur Nuclear Plant Project Infrastructure 2021-03-27 - Image source: WikiMedia Commons