Operating nuclear plants was ‘lifetime commitment’: Experts

As India opens its nuclear power sector to private participation under the newly enacted SHANTI Act, former regulators and policy experts at the nuclear power agency said nuclear power requires “lifetime commitment” and maintaining “financial security” for “waste management, settlement of claims (from radiation) and decommissioning (nuclear power plants).”

The Sustainable Use and Development of Nuclear Energy to Transform India (SHANTI) Act, 2025 aims to help India increase its installed nuclear energy capacity from the current 8.7 gigawatts (GW) to 100 GW by 2047, as the government has repeatedly stated. Unlike the previous half-century, it hopes to achieve this by, in theory, allowing private companies to operate nuclear power plants and tap foreign funds for the purpose.