Proposed nuclear energy Bill caps operator's liability at ₹3,000 cr

The government on Monday introduced in Parliament a Bill that seeks to finally open up the Indian civil nuclear energy sector to private sector players, except in uranium mining, after amending specific provisions dealing with thorny issues like the supplier's liability and compensation in case of a nuclear accident.

- SUDHEER PAL SINGH

The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill 2025 proposes to repeal the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act, 2010.

The Bill essentially proposes two major changes. One, it allows private sector entry into key areas like building, owning, and operating nuclear plants, uranium enrichment, and transportation and storage of nuclear fuel, apart from import and export of equipment and technology. The Bill has also omitted a provision in the existing CLND Act that allowed right of recourse to the operator in case a nuclear incident results from an act of supplier including the supply of defective equipment or substandard services.