India has enacted a major reform of its nuclear energy framework with the passage of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, opening the civil nuclear power sector to limited private participation. The legislation, cleared by Parliament during the Winter Session and subsequently notified, replaces the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, which the union government said had become impediments to capacity expansion. The new law permits private companies to participate in nuclear power generation and selected allied activities, while retaining sensitive areas such as fuel reprocessing, waste management and enrichment under exclusive government control. It also grants statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, strengthening regulatory independence and safety oversight
A graded liability framework has been introduced, with operator responsibility linked to the nature of nuclear installations. The government has positioned the reform as critical to scaling firm, low carbon power and supporting India’s clean energy transition. Nuclear energy is expected to play a stabilising baseload role alongside renewables as the country works towards its stated objective of 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047
