Nuclear power divides people. While some environmentalists value its zero-carbon energy, others worry about its safety, weapons potential, and waste-management risks, not to mention cost, especially when renewable energy is getting cheaper. But many countries are eyeing it for the same reason India is: energy security. NITI Aayog’s net-zero study projected a cost-effective greener pathway would need ~100 GW of nuclear power by 2047, a more than 10x growth from now.

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Many supporters of nuclear power projects in India have held the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, responsible for making it difficult for India to attract foreign entrants. Now, India has signed the SHANTI Act, 2025, which caps the liability for nuclear power system developers, specifically removing the automatic liability for equipment suppliers. This is vital since the operator could be Indian but equipment would invariably come from abroad.

Traditionally, India’s nuclear power programme was domestically based, with a three-phase plan going from natural uranium — in Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) — to plutonium in fast breeder reactors, to thorium-based reactors over time. To accelerate the installed capacity of........

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