India's Parliament recently passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, 2025, which received presidential assent on December 19.
The law replaces the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010, creating a unified framework to modernise the sector and boost capacity toward 100 GW by 2047 from the current roughly 8 GW.
While the Act allows private Indian companies and joint ventures to build, own, operate, and decommission nuclear plants, potentially attracting major players like Tata, Adani, and Reliance, it preserves exclusive central government authority over sensitive areas.
These include uranium and thorium mining, enrichment, isotopic separation, spent fuel management, heavy water production, and high-level waste handling. All activities still require central licensing and safety authorisations from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, now with statutory status.
