Nuclear Opening

India appears poised for a defining shift in its energy policy.

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For over six decades, the civilian nuclear sector has been the exclusive preserve of the state. Now, with the government preparing amendments to the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, private companies may finally be allowed a formal role in nuclear power generation. It is a reform whose time has come. The motivations are clear. India's electricity demand is accelerating with industrial expansion, high-growth digital infrastructure, rising incomes and rapid urbanisation.Renewable energy has surged, yet the intermittency of solar and wind means they cannot provide stable baseload power on their own. Nuclear power ~ compact, reliable and virtually emissions-free ~ is crucial if India wants to decarbonise without slowing economic aspirations. The government's ambition to reach 100 GW of nuclear capacity by 2047 cannot be met by public investment alone.