The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025, marks a significant structural shift in India’s nuclear energy governance by ending the state’s monopoly and enabling private participation under continued regulatory and strategic state control. This move aims to accelerate India’s nuclear capacity expansion but has sparked critical debate over balancing energy security goals with potential safety and accountability implications. 

 Key Provisions of the SHANTI Bill, 2025

• Private Sector Participation: The Bill allows private Indian companies and joint ventures to build, own, operate, and decommission nuclear power plants and engage in specific fuel-cycle activities (like fuel fabrication and transport) under license.
• Retention of State Control: The Central Government maintains exclusive control over strategic and sensitive areas, including uranium enrichment, spent fuel reprocessing, high-level waste management, and heavy water production, to safeguard national security.
• Statutory Status for AERB: The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) is granted statutory recognition, enhancing its independence and accountability to Parliament, and establishing a structured licensing and safety oversight system.
• Revised Liability Framework: The Bill repeals the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act, 2010, removes automatic supplier liability, and introduces a graded operator liability cap based on plant capacity. This aligns India’s liability regime with international conventions and aims to attract foreign investment.
• Focus on Advanced Technologies: It facilitates the deployment of advanced technologies like Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), which are seen as crucial for meeting the long-term target of 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047. 

Potential Implications

For India’s Energy Security:

• Positive Implications: The bill is expected to attract significant private and foreign capital, technology, and expertise, which are essential to bridge the financing gap and accelerate the expansion of nuclear power capacity beyond the public sector’s capabilities. This diversification will enhance energy independence and provide clean, reliable baseload power to complement intermittent renewables, supporting India’s net-zero targets.
• Critical View: The success hinges on attracting sufficient investment, which may be hampered if private players still perceive risks as too high, despite the liability changes. The over-reliance on foreign technology (like US and French reactors) might also affect India’s long-standing goal of self-reliance through its indigenous thorium program. 

 For India’s Safety Regime:

• Positive Implications: Granting statutory status to the AERB is a significant step towards a more robust and independent regulatory framework. The emphasis on preventive regulation and enhanced safety standards aims to ensure public health and environmental protection.

Critical View: The removal of supplier liability and capping of operator penalties has drawn sharp criticism, with opponents arguing it dilutes the “polluter pays” principle and shifts the bulk of the financial risk in case of a catastrophic accident onto the state and public. Concerns also exist regarding transparency, as certain provisions override the RTI Act for “restricted” information, potentially reducing public oversight and accountability.