Amended Atomic Energy Bill in advanced stage, govt tells Parl

The government on Wednesday informed Parliament that proposed amendments to the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, are in advanced stages and the objective is to expand private participation in the nuclear cooperation sector.

Recalling the Budget announcement in this regard, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Jitendra Singh today said the government had announced that active private sector participation would be facilitated by undertaking amendments to the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, and the Atomic Energy Act.

“The draft Atomic Energy Bill, 2025, is currently in advanced stage of processing and preparation, with final comments and suggestions from various ministries being progressively incorporated along with concomitant vetting by the Ministry of Law and Justice for legal compliance,” the government said.

The minister said the policy directives of the government with regard to specific aspects of the Bill were still being suitably incorporated before being put up for approvals.

“The exact modalities of the various aspects and concerns raised are being addressed in the amendments proposed and the position on these will be made clear once the draft gets vetted by the ministries concerned and is approved by the government,” said Singh.

The government has listed the Atomic Energy Bill, 2025, for introduction during the ongoing winter session.

Singh’s response came to a question by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor who sought to know from the PMO whether the government had proposed amendments to the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, and the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, to limit supplier liability, including defining a cap on equipment suppliers’ liability, ahead of advancing nuclear cooperation with foreign entities such as in agreements with the US and France. Tharoor also asked about timelines for the proposed amendments and whether these would affect the accountability for nuclear safety and rights of victims in case of a nuclear incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently said India was planning to open up the nuclear power sector to private players. This, he said, would create opportunities in small modular reactors, advanced reactors and nuclear innovation and invigorate the national energy security sector.

The Atomic Energy Act bars participation of private sector and even state governments in the nuclear energy segment.

It places powers to operate nuclear power plants in the Union Government and its agencies and companies.

Why the Bill

• India has committed to net zero carbon emissions by 2070
• Power sector contributes over 40% of global energy-related emissions
• Nuclear energy, being a non-fossil and stable power source, will play a major role in the net zero emission goal
• India currently operates 25 nuclear reactors at 7 locations, with installed capacity of 8,880 MW, contributing 3% of the national power generation
• Eight reactors are under construction, and another 10 are in pre-project stages
• The government has set a target of achieving 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047