The central government is set to roll out measures for the private sector investments in the Nuclear Energy as part of a mega push towards green transition.
These measures include assured power purchase agreements, and the government will soon initiate consultations with technology developers, operators and investors, said, Abhay Karandikar, Member, Niti Aayog. He said the government is also preparing to notify rules under Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, 2025, he said. The government could also consider financial support to incentivise private sector participation, according to him. “The idea is to get stakeholders’ feedback on capital flows as well as technology readiness before the government lays out a roadmap for sustainable development of nuclear capacity in the country, Karandikar said. The government is also preparing to notify rules under Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, 2025, and could also consider financial support to incentivise private sector participation, he said. The Government has announced a Nuclear Energy Mission to achieve 100 GW by 2047, aligning with India’s clean energy goals. The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025 permits private companies to participate in India’s nuclear sector, enabling them to undertake plant operations, power generation, equipment manufacturing, and selected activities such as the fabrication of nuclear fuel including conversion, refining and enrichment of uranium-235 up to such threshold value, or production, use, processing or disposal of other prescribed substances. In addition, all activities that involve radiation exposure must obtain prior safety authorisation from the regulatory authority. Financial support to the private sector can be extended through the Rs 1 lakh crore Research Development and Innovation (RDI) scheme or a separate sector-specific fund could be set up to handhold the private sector in the initial years, as per a report by the Economic Times. The RDI scheme provides long-term, low-interest and unsecured financing to the private sector and startups to accelerate transformative technologies, including nuclear energy.
