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Parliament approves landmark SHANTI Bill which opens nuclear power sector to private players
The legislation proposes, among other things, the grant of licences to private companies to operate nuclear power plants.
Parliament passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill on Thursday.
The Bill, which was cleared by Lok Sabha on Wednesday, was introduced in Parliament on Monday by Union minister for state for atomic energy Jitendra Singh.
The legislation proposes the grant of licences to private companies to operate nuclear power plants, the removal of an existing contentious liability clause for suppliers of fuel and technology, as well as the rationalisation of the levels of payouts by operators in case of accidents.
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It further aims to boost investments in the nuclear power sector in order to help India achieve its ambitious target of 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, according to an earlier HT report.
Responding to the clearing of the SHANTI Bill by both houses, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it “marks a transformational moment for our technology landscape.”
PM Modi expressed gratitude to the MPs who supported the passage of the bill, and said it would help in “safely powering AI” and in enabling green manufacturing.
The Prime Minister said the bill “delivers a decisive boost to a clean-energy future for the country and the world”, adding that it also opens numerous opportunities for the private sector and the youth. “This is the ideal time to invest, innovate and build in India!” PM Modi said in a post on X.
Till now, only public sector companies had the permission to operate nuclear power plants, while joint ventures had been allowed. However, this legislation permits any company or joint venture to construct, own, operate, or decommission a nuclear power plant or reactor within the country. They will be required to obtain a licence after a safety authorisation on radiation exposure.
The Bill allows “any department of the Government of India or any institution or authority or corporation established or owned or controlled by such government, any government company, any other company, a joint venture among any of the aforesaid; or any other person expressly permitted by the central government, by notification, to set up such facilities or undertake such activities.”
According to the statement of objects of the bill, it also provides "for a pragmatic civil liability regime for nuclear damage”, and calls for an amendment to the Patents Act 1970 for the grant of patents relating to atomic energy.
The bill also proposes to repeal the Atomic Energy Act 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLND Act) 2010, and removes a clause in the CLND Act.
