NITI Aayog discusses SHANTI Act rollout to boost private nuclear power

NITI Aayog held consultations on implementing the SHANTI Act, 2025, which permits private participation in India's nuclear power sector. Discussions focused on regulations, FDI, financing, manufacturing, workforce development and operational readiness to support the country's long-term clean energy goals

New Delhi: NITI Aayog on Saturday said it convened a stakeholder consultation on the implementation of the SHANTI Act, 2025, which allows private companies to own and operate nuclear energy plants. The Aayog, in a statement, said the consultation brought together key leaders, policymakers and experts from the government, research institutions and industry to deliberate on the operational framework of the landmark Act.

According to the statement, deliberations focused on the SHANTI Act’s draft rules, regulations and related FDI policy provisions, with the opening technical segment presenting the statutory compliance mechanisms under SHANTI Act, 2025 and highlighting how foreign capital can be attracted while safeguarding domestic interests.

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Stakeholders also examined the financial mechanisms and risk-mitigation frameworks needed to support the Act’s implementation. The discussion also covered suitable insurance arrangements for long-term projects, along with strategies to strengthen public awareness, community trust and broader acceptance of nuclear energy projects, it added.

The statement said the focus was on the operationalization phase, with emphasis on strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities, ensuring operational readiness and building a skilled workforce to sustain the ecosystem.

Stakeholders also discussed enhancing supply chain resilience and designing dedicated capacity-building programmes to support industrial scaling and develop a highly competent human resource base, it added.

Stakeholders provided a range of views across all three critical areas, which will be useful in strengthening the implementation framework of the SHANTI Act, 2025.

The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, 2025, reflects the government’s effort to modernise the laws governing the nuclear sector. It replaced the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the CLND Act, 2010.

The Act enables limited private participation in the nuclear sector under regulatory oversight; strengthens statutory regulation by granting statutory recognition to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB); and supports India’s clean-energy transition and the long-term objective of achieving 100 GW nuclear energy capacity by 2047.