The Nuclear Boon

Closer ties with the private sector and global alliances are needed for India's ambitious plans to flourish

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Seventeen years after a civil nuclear deal was struck between India and the US that made India a virtual member of the global nuclear club, a big push is being given to the low-carbon energy source. Budget FY26 announced a plan to set up a Nuclear Energy Mission for research and development of small modular reactors (SMRs) with an outlay of ₹20,000 crore to be spent over the next few years. The finance minister also set a target to develop “at least 100 gigawatts (Gw) of nuclear energy by 2047”, and underlined that such capacity is “essential” for the country’s energy transition efforts. More important, she said the country would amend the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, to facilitate the entry of private companies in nuclear power generation. All this is sensible policy.