‘Why Weren’t Nuclear Energy Bills Tabled In The Monsoon Session?’

On August 26, the Congress party expressed significant concerns regarding the government’s commitment to amend two existing laws that would allow private companies to establish and operate nuclear power plants. The party inquired whether these amendments would be introduced during the upcoming Winter session of Parliament.

Jairam Ramesh, the Congress general secretary responsible for communications, highlighted the government’s previous promises made during the 2025–26 Budget announcement. He stated, “Grand promises were made to give a boost to nuclear energy by amending the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, and the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, to allow private companies to establish and run nuclear power plants.” However, he pointed out that “somewhat surprisingly, neither of these two Bills were even introduced in the recently concluded [monsoon] session of Parliament.”

Ramesh further questioned, “Will the Bills be introduced in the Winter session three months hence? Moreover, what about a Bill to establish an independent regulatory body that is not part of the atomic energy establishment?” He emphasized the importance of such legislation to encourage private-sector involvement in nuclear power, suggesting that the government’s current proposals could be counterproductive.

He recalled the collaborative efforts of former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, along with Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj, in finalizing the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010. Ramesh remarked, “The proposed amendments will undo what they had accomplished,” indicating a potential regression in regulatory standards.

The Modi government has previously projected ambitious goals for India’s nuclear energy sector, claiming that the installed nuclear capacity would more than triple by 2031. The government anticipates that nuclear power plants could supply nearly 9 percent of the nation’s electricity needs by 2047, aiming for a target of 100 gigawatts, despite the current capacity being stalled at 8.18 gigawatts. This ambitious plan includes a substantial allocation of ₹20,000 crore in the Union Budget.

Recently, NTPC chairman Gurdeep Singh stated that the state-run power producer aims to contribute 30 percent of this nuclear energy goal. In a related context, Tata Power CEO Praveer Sinha, speaking at the Bloomberg New Energy Outlook summit in Delhi, emphasized the need for nuclear energy to be a viable alternative, saying, “Nuclear [energy] can’t just be a fashion statement… It needs to replace coal-based power as a source of affordable power.”

This transition is a priority for the private sector, but the question remains: will the government facilitate this shift? Concerns have been raised about whether such facilitation might come at the expense of public health and safety, particularly if it involves relaxing existing safeguards.

The Opposition, along with various civil society voices, is apprehensive that the Modi government intends to dilute the current law that holds both plant operators and equipment suppliers liable for damages in the event of an incident. The proposed amendments are expected to allow private firms to enter the market while altering the liability clauses that currently deter foreign technology suppliers.

After an initial wave of optimism following the Union Budget announcement, the private sector is now expressing anxiety over the lack of progress. Anil Parab, director of Larsen & Toubro, noted that “even small deviations can push nuclear projects back by months,” which ultimately adds to the overall costs of these projects.

The financial implications of these nuclear initiatives are significant. NTPC’s new project in Rajasthan, developed in partnership with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, is currently focused on bringing the first of its four 700-megawatt units online by 2031. However, the entire plant will not be operational for another five years, which means that while NTPC aims to contribute 30 percent of the nuclear energy goal, the remaining 70 percent is expected to come from the private sector, which has yet to commence its projects.

In the meantime, NTPC remains not only the nation’s largest energy producer but also its largest consumer of coal, leading to substantial greenhouse gas emissions derived from fossil fuels. As the debate over nuclear energy continues, the balance between energy needs, environmental concerns, and public safety remains a critical issue for the government and the nation as a whole.