Fission & fusion

As the wheels of civil nuclear power begin to turn, policies need further fine-tuning

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ABILLTO amend the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, is likely to be approved ☐ ister Narendra Modi's recent speech on the need to strengthen by Parliament in the ongoing session. This follows Prime Minand safeguard the country's long-term energy security and align the process squarely with the global CO2 reduction pathways. Private participation is set to be allowed in the full value chain of nuclear power, a clean energy source that is still relatively untapped even in advanced economies, and grossly under-utilised in India. In fact, Budget FY26 unveiled a Nuclear Energy Mission for R&D in small modular reactors (SMRS) with an outlay of 20,000 crore. Along with the development and operation of plants, and assimilation of advanced reactor technology, next-generation systems like SMRs and pressurised water reactors (PWRs) are critical for building a cost-effective and flexible domestic value chain. As for SMRS, India is simultaneously working on two fronts-incentivising a budding domestic start-up ecosystem and exploring alliances