India eyes nuclear power in Andamans as China challenge grows near Malacca Strait

Scientists from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) have begun assessing potential sites for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This move could strengthen the archipelago’s energy resilience as India expands strategic and civilian infrastructure near the Strait of Malacca.A team from the Department of Atomic Energy is visiting the islands from September 4 to 8 to assess potential sites across all three districts. The exercise follows a recommendation to explore SMRs to meet the archipelago’s rapidly growing power requirements.Electricity demand is expected to rise sharply as major infrastructure projects take shape, including the International Container Transhipment Terminal, a greenfield airport and deep-water multipurpose ports.The BARC team has also briefed Andaman and Nicobar Islands Lieutenant Governor Admiral D K Joshi on potential sites and other features of the proposed SMR plan.Great Nicobar ProjectThe proposed SMR sites assume added significance against the backdrop of the Great Nicobar Project, one of India’s most strategically important infrastructure initiatives in the region.The project envisages an International Container Transhipment Terminal at Galathea Bay, a greenfield international airport, a township and associated power infrastructure. The government has described the project as having strategic, defence and national-security significance.The project is also aimed at strengthening India’s presence in the Andaman Sea and Southeast Asia while establishing a major maritime hub close to key international shipping routes.Its location gives the project significance beyond trade and connectivity. It comes as India seeks to expand its economic and strategic footprint in the eastern Indian Ocean and strengthen its ability to monitor maritime activity in the region.Countering China, watching the Malacca StraitThe proposed SMR sites acquire a broader strategic dimension because Great Nicobar is emerging as a key component of India’s efforts to strengthen its position in the eastern Indian Ocean amid China’s growing presence in the region.The government has explicitly described the Great Nicobar Project as having strategic, defence and national-security importance. It has said that a strong and permanent defence presence on the island would help India monitor and secure maritime routes while countering the growing presence of foreign powers in the Indian Ocean.The Strait of Malacca is central to this strategy. A major maritime chokepoint, it carries substantial volumes of global trade and energy supplies between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. Great Nicobar’s location gives India a strategically important position near the western approaches to the strait.The Ministry of Defence has previously highlighted the importance of INS Baaz at Campbell Bay, noting that the naval air station overlooks the Strait of Malacca and the Six Degree Channel.The wider Andaman and Nicobar Command, India’s only integrated tri-services command, was established in recognition of the archipelago’s strategic location astride important sea lines of communication.The Ministry of Defence has said the islands’ geography enables India to safeguard its maritime interests and deter potential threats, giving the command an important role in the country’s broader Act East strategy.