Parliament has enacted the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Act, 2025 (SHANTI Act), introducing a consolidated legislative framework for the civil nuclear energy sector. The Act repeals the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, and brings nuclear regulation, licensing and liability under a single statute.
The SHANTI Act permits regulated private sector participation in civil nuclear power generation, enabling Indian companies and joint ventures to obtain licences to build, own, operate and decommission nuclear power plants and associated facilities. Strategic functions, including fuel cycle operations and heavy water production, remain under exclusive governmental control.
The Act provides statutory recognition to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and establishes an Atomic Energy Redressal Advisory Council, with further appellate recourse to the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity, thereby strengthening regulatory and dispute resolution mechanisms. The nuclear liability framework has been revised to a tiered model linked to reactor capacity, retaining the principle of no-fault operator liability and removing the right of recourse in respect of defective equipment.
Notably, the SHANTI Act amends the Patents Act, 1970 by substituting Section 4 to allow patent protection for nuclear-related inventions, subject to the safeguards under Section 38 of the SHANTI Act. The Act also extends compensation for nuclear damage to foreign territories under specified conditions, aligning India’s framework with prevailing international practices.
Sources: SHANTI Bill, 2025