New Delhi, July 16 -- India has taken another step towards expanding its nuclear power programme by inviting bids for a Rs.28,000-crore contract to build the nuclear island of the proposed 4x700 MW Mahi Banswara project in Rajasthan.

The tender, floated by Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam Ltd, a joint venture between NTPC and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), is the largest such contract issued under India's indigenous pressurized heavy water reactor programme, and underpins the government's plan to rapidly scale up nuclear capacity.

This will also be the country's first nuclear power plant not completely owned by state-owned NPCIL. All of the 8.8GW of India's installed nuclear power capacity is fully owned by NPCIL.

The Nuclear I...