Overview
- Union Cabinet approval on Friday sets up the Atomic Energy Bill, 2025 for introduction in the ongoing winter session of Parliament.
- The bill ends the state’s exclusive hold over much of the civil nuclear value chain by permitting private participation in areas such as atomic mineral exploration, fuel fabrication, and equipment manufacturing, while reactor licences and operational control remain with government agencies like NPCIL.
- Revisions to liability include clearer allocation of responsibility, insurance-based caps, and a government backstop, alongside creation of an independent nuclear safety authority and a specialised tribunal for disputes.
- Policy planners tie the overhaul to a scale-up from roughly 8 GW today to 100 GW by 2047, a buildout estimated at 15–19 lakh crore (about $214 billion), with a dedicated Rs 20,000 crore SMR mission targeting five indigenous units by 2033.
- Officials say the framework proposes allowing up to 49% foreign direct investment and redesigning operator insurance to Rs 1,500 crore per incident under the Indian Nuclear Insurance Pool.