Thawing India's 'nuclear winter'

Holtec approval should spur govt to tweak laws

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Eighteen years after India and the United States inked the signature Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agreement, the country finally saw a breakthrough. On March 26, the US Department of Energy granted Holtec International regulatory approval for the transfer of small modular reactor (SMR) technology to India. This approval permits Holtec, founded by Indian-American Kris P Singh, to share unclassified SMR technology — for nuclear reactors of between 30 Mw and 300 Mw — with three Indian entities, Holtec Asia (its regional subsidiary), Tata Consulting Engineers, and Larsen & Toubro. This approval signifies important progress on an agreement that was gratuitously stalled by a restrictive clause in the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA). It opens up new avenues for nuclear collaboration with the private sector. Given the target set by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her February Budget speech, of adding 100 Gw of nuclear energy by 2047 as part of a 20,000 crore Nuclear Energy Mission, this approval also offers the government a unique window of opportunity to acce