SHANTI Bill 2025: A 'Structural Positive' for India's Nuclear Power Expansion

Infomerics Ratings described the bill as "structural long-term positive" for the Indian power sector for addressing long-standing deterrents to nuclear capacity addition, particularly liability and participation constraints.

The nuclear expansion is still expected to remain gradual and to increase to around 22 Giga Watt (GW) by FY2032, considering projects under implementation and planning, the firm noted.

'SHANTI Bill 2025' replaces the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, with a unified legal framework governing development, safety, security, safeguards, and nuclear liability.

The bill permits government entities, companies, joint ventures or other persons expressly allowed by the central government to build, own, operate or decommission nuclear plants and fabricate nuclear fuel, including conversion.

Net-zero commitments and rising electricity demand position nuclear as an important component of India's future energy mix, as renewable intermittency limits its ability to fully meet reliable base load demand even with storage support, the firm noted.

"The bill provides category wise operator liability caps and restricts recourse to suppliers to defined contractual and intentional fault situations, thereby reducing supplier risk, improving investor confidence, and facilitating greater private sector participation in future nuclear projects," said Rohit Inamdar, Chief Ratings Officer, Infomerics Ratings.

However, the report maintained that growth in nuclear power capacities will also depend on tariff competitiveness, and the development of a domestic vendor ecosystem.

Long-term sovereign-backed fuel supply arrangements, building strategic reserves, and domestic fuel-cycle infrastructure development will remain critical as nuclear capacity expands, the firm noted.

- IANS