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SHANTI Act 2025: Transforming India’s Nuclear Power Landscape

The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill was passed in December 2025. It signals a radical shift by allowing private companies to build, own, and operate nuclear power plants, ending

Why in News

  • The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill was passed in December 2025.
  • It signals a radical shift by allowing private companies to build, own, and operate nuclear power plants, ending the DAE’s exclusive monopoly.
  • The target is to increase installed nuclear capacity from 8,180 MW to 100,000 MW by 2047.
  • The Act repeals the 1962 Atomic Energy Act and the 2010 Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act.

Impact

  • Economic: Requires an outlay of over $200 billion (₹18 lakh crore) to add 90 GW capacity.
  • Social: [NOT FOUND]
  • Policy: Provides statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and revises the liability framework to attract foreign investment.
  • Ecological: Nuclear is seen as a low-carbon baseload essential for the “net zero” target by 2070.

GS Paper Focus

GS-3 — Economy: Infrastructure: Energy; GS-3 — S&T: Indigenization of technology. POLICIES & SCHEMES: 1. SHANTI Act, 2025. 2. Viksit Bharat 2047. 3. Net-zero emissions by 2070. FURTHER READING: * Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act. * Rakesh Sood (Distinguished Fellow). CLUSTER CONNECTION: Ambition vs. Capacity: The 100 GW target is highly ambitious compared to the current 8.8 GW, requiring massive private capital and indigenization of unproven foreign designs. SYSTEM-LEVEL INSIGHT: The SHANTI Act represents the “Formalization of Commercial Nuclearism.” By decoupling civilian power from strategic/defense nuclear activities and creating an autonomous regulator, the state is attempting to treat nuclear power as a standard commercial infrastructure project to meet baseload energy needs that renewables (due to land intensity and intermittency) cannot currently satisfy at scale.

Interview Angle

“Assess the challenges of integrating private players into India’s nuclear sector under the SHANTI Act 2025, specifically regarding safety regulation and liability.” ENGLISH VOCABULARY & PHRASES: 1. Baseload — the minimum level of demand on an electrical grid — Intermediate 2. Hitherto — until now — Basic 3. Repealed — formally revoked or annulled — Intermediate 4. Indigenised — adapted to local conditions or produced locally — Basic 5. Nuts and bolts — the practical details — Basic ________________ ==================== ARTICLE 4 ==================== TOPIC: World Trade Organization EN_BLOCK