SHANTI and the nuclear question

The SHANTI Bill brings nuclear power back into public discourse.

- DEVANGSHU DATTA

The conversation around nuclear energy involves fact, fiction, perception, and the art of the possible. If the Bill goes through without changes, the private sector can invest up to 49 per cent equity in nuclear power companies. It also caps civil liability for nuclear incidents at around ₹3,000 crore, with the government providing a backstop beyond that. The Bill breaks the monopoly of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and offers private players some assurance.

The policy thrust is now towards small modular reactors (SMR). The target is to get SMRs with local technology up and running by 2033, with a target of 100 Gw nuclear capacity by 2047. Extrapolating from buildouts of other technologies, 100 Gw would be about 5 per cent of the total electricity capacity by 2047.

Current nuclear installed capacity is about 1.5 per cent of total grid capacity and much of it is inoperative for long periods. Nuclear contributes less than 7 Gw to a grid, which generates 240 Gw. Nuclear projects tend to see massive time and cost overruns. The 2033 SMR target may not be met, and the 2047 target is also probably out of reach.