CEA (Central Electricity Authority) Chairperson Ghanshyam Prasad announced in April 2026 that India targets expanding nuclear power capacity from the current 8.8 GW to 100 GW by 2047 — an over 11-fold increase. The legal foundation for this is the SHANTI Act (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) — passed by Parliament in late 2025 — which replaces the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA), 2010, and for the first time allows private Indian companies to enter the nuclear power sector.
SHANTI Act — Key Provisions
Full Name
SHANTI = Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India
What It Replaces
Old Law
Limitation
Atomic Energy Act, 1962
Nuclear sector entirely state-monopoly; no private entry
Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010
Supplier liability clause (Section 17b) deterred foreign and domestic investment in nuclear equipment supply
Key Changes
Feature
SHANTI Act
Private sector
Indian private companies can build, own, operate, decommission nuclear plants
FDI
NOT permitted — nuclear remains an Indian-controlled sector
Sensitive activities
Uranium enrichment, reprocessing — remain with state entities
India has a unique Three-Stage Nuclear Programme (designed by Homi J. Bhabha) to eventually use India’s vast Thorium reserves:
Stage
Reactor Type
Fuel
Status
Stage 1
PHWR (Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor)
Natural Uranium
Operational (22 reactors)
Stage 2
FBR (Fast Breeder Reactor)
Plutonium + Uranium
Prototype FBR at Kalpakkam (under commissioning)
Stage 3
AHWR (Advanced Heavy Water Reactor)
Thorium + U-233
R&D stage
India’s Thorium reserves: ~25% of global reserves (~300,000 tonnes) — world’s second largest. This is the long-term rationale for India’s unique nuclear doctrine.
Bharat Small Reactors (BSR) and SMRs
Feature
Detail
Bharat Small Reactor
220 MW PHWR-based SMR — designed by NPCIL
Purpose
Easier to site (near demand centres); shorter construction time; lower upfront cost
Private sector RFP
Issued to ‘visionary Indian industries’ to co-finance and build BSRs
SMR global context
Multiple countries (US, UK, Canada, France) racing to commercialise SMRs
UPSC significance
SMRs = pathway for private nuclear entry without full-scale plant complexity
Challenges Ahead
Challenge
Detail
Fuel security
India is not self-sufficient in uranium; imports from Russia, Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia
Site acquisition
Identifying and acquiring coastal/riverside land for nuclear plants is contentious
Skilled manpower
100 GW by 2047 requires massive scale-up of nuclear engineers, operators
Regulatory capacity
AERB needs strengthening for 10-12 private operators
Public acceptance
Kudankulam protests demonstrated local opposition to nuclear plants
Construction timelines
Nuclear plants historically face cost overruns and delays globally
CLNDA successor
Supplier liability reform must now attract domestic manufacturers of nuclear equipment
UPSC Relevance
Prelims
SHANTI Act full form: Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India
Replaces: Atomic Energy Act 1962 + CLNDA 2010
Key change: Private Indian companies can enter nuclear sector (no FDI)
India nuclear capacity: 8.8 GW; target: 100 GW by 2047
This content was researched and written in collaboration with Claude AI (Anthropic). Key facts are verified against web sources before publishing — but errors can occasionally slip through. If you spot something incorrect, our team wants to fix it immediately.
