India's share of nuclear energy in the electricity generation is approximately

Nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms – a process called fission. This generates heat to produce steam, which is used by a turbine generator to generate electricity. Because nuclear power plants do not burn fuel, they do not produce greenhouse gas emissions. 

 Key Points

• The first commercial nuclear power stations started operation in the 1950s.
• Nuclear energy now provides about 10% of the world's electricity from about 440 power reactors.
• Nuclear is the world's second-largest source of low-carbon power (28% of the total in 2019). 
• Over 50 countries utilize nuclear energy in about 220 research reactors. 

Nuclear power in India

• India has a largely indigenous nuclear power program.
• The Indian government is committed to growing its nuclear power capacity as part of its massive infrastructure development program.
• Because India is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its weapons program, it was for 34 years largely excluded from trade in nuclear plants and materials, which hampered its development of civil nuclear energy until 2009.
• 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.
• Since 2010, a fundamental incompatibility between India’s civil liability law and international conventions limits foreign technology provision.

In 2020, about 3.3 percent of the total power generated in India was derived from nuclear energy. The amount of nuclear electricity generated across India was about 40.4 billion kilowatt-hours that year.