India moving towards opening nuclear sector to private players, says PM

Speaking at the inauguration of private Indian space company Skyroot's new campus in Hyderabad - which also saw the unveiling of Skyroot's first orbital rocket, Vikram-I - the prime minister said opening India's space sector to private innovation has seen it transform into an "open, cooperative, and innovation-driven ecosystem". India now wants to repeat that in nuclear sector.

"Just as we opened space innovation to the private sector, we are now taking steps in another very important sector. We are moving toward opening the nuclear sector as well. We are laying the foundation for a strong role for the private sector in this field too. This will create opportunities in small modular reactors, advanced reactors, and nuclear innovation. This reform will give new strength to our energy security and technological leadership," he said.

According to World Nuclear Association information, India currently has 24 operable nuclear reactors totalling 7,943 MW of capacity, with six reactors - 4,768 MW - under construction. (The Indian government often classes two units at Gorakhpur where site works have begun as being under construction, although the first concrete for the reactor buildings has not yet been poured.) A further 10 units - some 7 GW of capacity - are in pre-project stages. But India's Atomic Energy Act of 1962 prohibits private control of nuclear power generation: only government-owned enterprises Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and BHAVINI are legally allowed to own and operate nuclear power plants in India, and private sector companies and foreign investors are not allowed to invest directly in nuclear power.

However, the government is targeting 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047 under its Viksit Bharat development strategy, and has begun the process to amend the Atomic Energy Act as well as the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010, to enable broader participation by private and state sectors. Earlier this year, Minister of State Jitendra Singh confirmed that the committees had been set up by the Department of Atomic Energy to discuss and propose the amendments to the two acts.

The Atomic Energy Bill, 2025, has been listed for introduction to the Winter Session of the Indian parliament, which begins on 1 December.