India introduces 2025 bill to overhaul nuclear energy law

The Government of India has introduced the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025 in Parliament to replace and modernise the country’s core nuclear energy legislation.

• Bill details: The Bill repeals the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, consolidating them into a single law that sets licensing and safety authorisation rules, expands regulation of nuclear and radiation technologies across healthcare, agriculture, industry and research, revises the civil liability framework for nuclear damage, and grants statutory status to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board while creating new bodies such as an Atomic Energy Redressal Advisory Council, Claims Commissioners, and a Nuclear Damage Claims Commission with the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity as appellate authority.
• Energy and climate context: The Statement of Objects and Reasons links the Bill to India’s decarbonisation roadmap to 2070 and a target of 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047, emphasising fuller use of indigenous nuclear resources, greater public and private sector participation, support for clean energy security and round-the-clock power for data centers and future-ready applications, and alignment with India’s energy transition and international obligations while balancing expansion of nuclear power with safety, accountability and public interest.