India has opened its nuclear-power sector to private investors under the SHANTI
Act, passed December 2025, ending the state monopoly created by the 1962 Atomic
Energy Act. The government aims to mobilize about $210bn and raise nuclear
capacity to 100 GW by 2047 from roughly 9 GW today — implying ~90 GW of new
capacity and roughly a tenfold acceleration in deployment over 22 years. The law
allows private firms to build, own, operate and decommission nuclear plants and
permits foreign participation via joint ventures; private players may engage
across generation, engineering, manufacturing, O&M and structured finance. The
state will retain control over strategic activities including uranium and
thorium mining, heavy-water production, spent-fuel reprocessing and
radioactive-waste management. Consultant YCP cautions that legal reform alone
does not guarantee investment: tariff mechanisms, financing arrangements,
supply-chain readiness, regulatory rules, insurance and public acceptance remain
unresolved.
