{"id":77851,"date":"2025-12-14T10:57:16","date_gmt":"2025-12-14T05:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=77851"},"modified":"2025-12-16T15:10:20","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T09:40:20","slug":"the-atomic-energy-bill-2025-opening-up-indias-nuclear-power-sector","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/the-atomic-energy-bill-2025-opening-up-indias-nuclear-power-sector\/","title":{"rendered":"The Atomic Energy Bill 2025 &#8211; Opening Up India\u2019s Nuclear Power Sector"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>The Atomic Energy Amendment Bill 2025 Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, the Indian government cleared the Atomic Energy Bill 2025 \u2014 rebadged as the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (<\/span><b>SHANTI<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) Bill.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The proposed amendments aim to <\/span><b>overhaul <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s highly closed atomic energy framework by modifying the <\/span><b>Atomic Energy Act, 1962<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and aligning it with global practices to enable private and foreign participation in civil nuclear power.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This move is crucial for India\u2019s long-term <\/span><b>energy security<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, climate commitments, and grid stability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Reforming India\u2019s Nuclear Sector<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Energy transition and baseload needs:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rapid renewable expansion without adequate energy storage has increased <\/span><b>grid instability<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thermal capacity expansion is slowing, and coal is environmentally and politically constrained.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nuclear energy offers reliable baseload power and a low-carbon alternative.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Capital constraints, not technology deficit:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s push for global nuclear collaboration is driven more by capital requirements than technology.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interest from foreign sovereign wealth funds, especially from West Asia, has been expressed.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Leveraging the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Deal:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nearly two decades after being signed, the deal\u2019s commercial potential remains underutilised.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reforms are being packaged as part of India\u2013US trade and investment negotiations.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Key Provisions of the Atomic Energy Bill 2025 (SHANTI Bill)<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Opening up to private and foreign players: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Private companies allowed up to 49% minority equity in nuclear power projects. Potential entry of foreign companies in partnership with global sovereign funds.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Expanded scope of private participation:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exploration of atomic minerals<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fuel fabrication<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Equipment manufacturing<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Select aspects of plant operations<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research &amp; Development (R&amp;D) of civil nuclear technologies, especially Small Modular Reactors (<\/span><b>SMRs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) &#8211; <\/span><b>under 300 MW<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> nuclear fission reactors built in factories and shipped to sites.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Scaling Up Nuclear Capacity &#8211; India\u2019s Ambition<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Target<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 100 GWe nuclear capacity by 2047, up from about 8 GWe currently.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Global comparison: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">USA (approx. 100 GWe); France (~65 GWe); China (58 GWe).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Nuclear Energy Mission:<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Outlay<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u20b920,000 crore for R&amp;D in Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Goal<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: At least 5 indigenously developed SMRs operational by 2033.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>SMRs &#8211; The New Pillar of India\u2019s Nuclear Strategy<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Why SMRs:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Smaller size, modular construction, quicker deployment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suitable for industrial decarbonisation and captive power (e.g., data centres, steel, cement).<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide <\/span><b>carbon-neutral baseload power<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, complementing renewables.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Indian SMR designs under development:\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) &#8211;\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bharat Small Reactor (BSR \u2013 220 MWe) \u2013 Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR)-based<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bharat Small Modular Reactor (BSMR \u2013 200 MWe) \u2013 Light Water Reactor (LWR)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SMR-55 (55 MWe) \u2013 LWR-based<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Designs are at an advanced stage; no foreign collaboration envisaged initially.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Private Sector Interest in SMRs<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Companies expressing interest<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Reliance Industries, Tata Power, Adani Power, Hindalco, JSW Energy, Jindal Steel &amp; Power.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>16 potential sites<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Across Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Operational model:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The\u00a0 state-owned Nuclear Power Corp of India Ltd (NPCIL) retains ownership and operational control.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Private players will fund the entire project lifecycle (including decommissioning), and get assured long-term captive power.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Concerns <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">raised over ownership structure, charges and cost recovery, long-term project viability.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Nuclear Liability Law &#8211; The Key Bottleneck<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 (CLNDA):<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Includes \u201cright of recourse\u201d, allowing operators to seek compensation from suppliers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Foreign vendors (Westinghouse, EDF\/Areva) see this as a major investment deterrent.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Proposed workarounds:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capping supplier liability beyond a threshold.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creation of a state-backed insurance or fund pool.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Aligning Indian law with global nuclear liability conventions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Challenges and Way Forward<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Political and public concerns over nuclear safety: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strengthen independent nuclear safety oversight. Promote SMRs for industrial decarbonisation and grid stability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Private sector worries:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Commercial viability and risk-sharing. Leverage reforms to deepen strategic partnerships (US, France, Russia).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Scalability issues: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India\u2019s PHWR-dominated reactor fleet. Gradually move towards globally dominant LWR technologies while preserving indigenous capability.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Need to balance:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Sovereignty, safety, and openness. Integrate nuclear energy within India\u2019s climate and energy transition strategy.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Managing liability reforms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Without diluting victim compensation. Ensure clear regulatory frameworks and predictable liability regimes.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Atomic Energy Bill 2025 marks a <\/span><b>paradigm shift<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in India\u2019s nuclear energy policy, transitioning from a state-dominated, closed model to a strategic, investment-friendly and climate-aligned framework.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If implemented carefully, the SHANTI Bill could become<\/span><b> a cornerstone of India\u2019s energy security and net-zero pathway.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-economics\/govy-amendment-open-n-power-10418126\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Atomic Energy Bill 2025 \u2014 rebadged as the SHANTI Bill, aims to overhaul India\u2019s highly closed atomic energy framework.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":77958,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,4200,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-77851","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-the-atomic-energy-amendment-bill-2025","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77851","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=77851"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/77851\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/77958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=77851"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=77851"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=77851"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}