“With the enactment of the SHANTI Bill, 2025, India has unlocked its nuclear sector for private and international participation. This landmark reform positions nuclear energy at the heart of India’s clean, secure, and industrial future.”

India’s energy transition has reached a historic inflection point. With the passage of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, 2025, the country has decisively ended over six decades of state monopoly in the nuclear sector.

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The SHANTI Act represents the most significant overhaul of India’s atomic energy framework since the early 1960s. It enables private and foreign participation of up to 49% equity, reforms nuclear liability to align with global standards, and grants full statutory independence to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). Together, these measures provide long-awaited regulatory clarity and investor confidence.

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India has raised its nuclear ambition to 100 GW by 2047, requiring an estimated USD 214 billion in investment. Achieving this scale of expansion opens opportunities across the entire nuclear value chain — from project development and reactor technology to manufacturing, construction, operations, and financing.

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A major focus of the new framework is the deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Bharat Small Reactors (BSRs) for industrial captive power and hydrogen production. These reactors offer lower capital costs, faster deployment timelines, and enhanced safety features, making them particularly well-suited for industrial applications and decentralized energy needs.

The Act also promotes supply-chain localization through Make in India incentives, encouraging domestic manufacturing of reactor components, fuel services, and nuclear-grade materials. With more than 205 GW of aging coal capacity expected to retire in the coming decades, nuclear power provides clean, firm baseload energy essential for grid stability and deep decarbonization.

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India’s nuclear renaissance represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity — not only to build a resilient, low-carbon energy system, but also to position the country as a global hub for advanced nuclear technology, manufacturing, and innovation.