The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, marks a historic overhaul of India’s atomic energy landscape. By repealing and consolidating the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA), 2010, it shifts India from a state monopoly to a regulated, multi-player ecosystem.
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Viksit Bharat @2047: Aims to scale India’s nuclear capacity from ~8.1 GW to 100 GW by 2047 to provide clean, baseload power for advanced tech like AI and quantum computing.
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Deregulation: Ends decades of exclusive state control by allowing private companies and joint ventures to build and operate nuclear plants.
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Modernization: Updates 60-year-old laws to align with global safety standards (IAEA) and contemporary technological realities like Small Modular Reactors (SMRs).
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Unified Framework: Consolidates regulation, enforcement, civil liability, and dispute resolution into a single statute to eliminate legal ambiguity.
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Statutory Regulator: Grants the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) independent statutory status. It now has the legal teeth to inspect, investigate, and shut down non-compliant facilities without needing executive approval.
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Dual Authorization: Shifts from a one-time permission model to a continuous one. Operators now need both a license to operate and a separate, independent safety authorization for every phase—from construction to decommissioning.
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Appellate Mechanism: Establishes the Atomic Energy Redressal Advisory Council for disputes, with further appeals directed to the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL).
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Pragmatic Liability Regime: Replaces the flat ₹1,500 crore cap with a tiered structure based on reactor capacity, ranging from ₹100 crore to ₹3,000 crore.
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Supplier Protection: Significantly, the Bill removes the controversial "Right of Recourse" (Section 17b of the old CLNDA) against equipment suppliers. This aims to attract global technology partners (like US-based firms) who were previously deterred by unlimited liability risks.
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Nuclear Liability Fund: The government will bear liability exceeding the operator’s cap and may establish a dedicated fund pooled through power tariffs.
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Expanded Scope: For the first time, the definition of "nuclear damage" is expanded to include environmental damage and potential claims in foreign territories caused by an incident in India.
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Strategic Reservation: While private players can operate plants, the "Core" of the fuel cycle remains a government monopoly:
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Uranium Enrichment
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Spent-Fuel Reprocessing
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Heavy Water Production
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High-level Waste Management
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National Security: Only Indian companies (no 100% foreign-owned entities) are eligible for licenses, ensuring sovereign oversight over sensitive technology.
Strategic ObjectivesThe "Structural Shift" in GovernanceNuclear Liability and Risk ManagementSafeguards and Central Control