Examine the role of private sector participation in India's Nuclear Energy Mission. How does this mark a departure from India's traditional nuclear policy?

Q. Examine the role of private sector participation in India's Nuclear Energy Mission. How does this mark a departure from India's traditional nuclear policy? (15 marks, 250-350 words)

The Nuclear Energy Mission, announced in Union Budget 2025-26, targets 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 to anchor India's net-zero-by-2070 pathway [2]. The SHANTI Act, 2025 — assented to in December 2025 — makes private capital, rather than the state alone, the decisive instrument for reaching it [1].

Role of the private sector in the Mission - Bridging the capacity gap: present capacity is about 8.78 GW, projected to reach ~22 GW by 2031-32 and ~54 GW by 2047 through NPCIL and PSUs; the balance of roughly 46 GW must come from private firms, joint ventures and State PSUs [2]. - Financing: nuclear projects are capital-intensive with long gestation; private equity diversifies funding beyond sovereign budgetary support. - Operational entry: private companies and JVs may now build, own, operate and decommission plants under government licence, and enter fuel fabrication and equipment manufacturing [1]. - Small Modular Reactors: a ₹20,000 crore outlay supports design, development and deployment of SMRs, with five indigenous designs targeted by 2033 — a modular scale suited to private and captive industrial demand [3]. - Liability clarity: the new law clarifies operator and supplier liability, addressing the investment reluctance that constrained earlier cooperation [1].

Departure from traditional policy - From monopoly to licensing: the SHANTI Act replaces the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, ending exclusive state control of civil nuclear generation [1]. - From strategic secrecy to commercial regulation: nuclear power is reframed as a licensed, investible utility sector. - From PHWR-centric state build-out to technology diversification through SMRs and joint ventures [3]. - Continuity retained: licensing, safety regulation, safeguards and fuel-cycle oversight remain governmental — this is liberalisation, not privatisation of NPCIL.

India has thus shifted from state stewardship to state supervision of a competitive nuclear sector. Realising the 100 GW goal will further require a strengthened independent safety regulator, assured fuel supply and public trust built through transparency — aligning nuclear expansion with SDG-7 and India's climate commitments.

(~320 words)

Sources: 1. The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025 — PIB — private/JV entry into build-own-operate, fuel fabrication, liability clarity, repeal of the 1962 and 2010 Acts 2. Parliament Question: Nuclear Energy Mission for Viksit Bharat — PIB — 100 GW by 2047, 8.78 GW present capacity, 22 GW by 2031-32, ~54 GW via PSUs, net-zero 2070 linkage 3. A Nuclear Energy Mission for Research & Development of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) will be set up: Budget 2025-26 — PIB — ₹20,000 crore SMR outlay and five indigenous SMRs by 2033