SHANTI bill introduced in Lok Sabha, aims to open up civil nuclear sector to private players

Private sector's active involvement needed for 100 GW capacity by 2047, says new SHANTI bill placed in the Lok Sabha.

New Delhi: India's target of achieving 100 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity by 2047 will need active involvement of the private sector, says the new Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) bill that seeks to open up the closely guarded sector for private firms.

Introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday by Jitendra Singh, the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office said, the SHANTI bill seeks to repeal the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability to Nuclear Damage Act 2010 that currently govern the nuclear-sector.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board will be reconstituted under the new law and the government may set up a separate regulatory agency for strategic projects, as per the bill tabled in the House.

Also there will be new institutional arrangements such as Atomic Energy Redressal Advisory Council, designation of Claims Commissioners, and a Nuclear Damage Claims Commission for cases involving severe nuclear damage, with the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity acting as the appellate authority.

For over seven decades, the nuclear power sector was under strict government control dominated by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited that runs a network of 24 pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR) and light water reactors with an installed capacity of 8780 MW.

In addition, seven nuclear power reactors totalling to 6,100 MW capacity are at various stages of construction/commissioning and pre-project activities are going on for a few others including the country’s first joint venture nuclear power plant at Mahi-Banswara being set up by NPCIL and National Thermal Power Corporation.

While NPCIL aims to provide nearly 50 per cent of the targeted 100 GW capacity by 2047, the Union government needs to explore other options for the rest.

“It is imperative to enact a new legislation to harness the full potential of India’s nuclear energy and indigenous resources through active involvement of both the public and private sectors,” the bill says in its Statement of Objects and Reasons.

The bill further seeks to leverage the contribution of domestic nuclear energy for augmenting the global nuclear energy ecosystem.

At the operational level, it lays down provisions for licensing and safety authorisation for specified persons involved in the production or use of nuclear energy, along with clear grounds for suspension or cancellation.

Moreover, the bill seeks to bring under regulation the use of nuclear and radiation technologies in areas such as healthcare, food and agriculture, industry and research, while exempting research, development and innovation activities from licensing requirements.