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US welcomes SHANTI Bill: ‘A step towards stronger energy security ties’
The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025 was passed in Parliament on Thursday and received Presidential assent on Saturday.
The SHANTI Bill subsumes all laws dealing with the civil nuclear sector and also opens it up for participation by private players.
The United States has welcomed the recently passed Nuclear Bill in Parliament, articulating its readiness to undertake joint research and development in the nuclear energy sector.
The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025 was passed in Parliament on Thursday and received Presidential assent on Saturday.
In a statement on Monday, the US Embassy in New Delhi said, “We welcome India’s new #SHANTIBill, a step towards a stronger energy security partnership and peaceful civil nuclear cooperation. The United States stands ready to undertake joint innovation and R&D in the energy sector.”
The SHANTI Bill subsumes all laws dealing with the civil nuclear sector and also opens it up for participation by private players. It repealed the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010. The Bill enables private companies and joint ventures to build, own, operate and decommission nuclear power plants under a licence from the government.
On Saturday, the Congress had accused the government of “bulldozing the Bill through Parliament” to help Prime Minister Modi restore “SHANTI” with his “once good friend”, in a veiled reference to US President Donald Trump.
Congress communication in-charge Jairam Ramesh claimed that the legislation dilutes key provisions of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act — an issue flagged in the US National Defence Authorisation Act for 2026.
Referring to the Act signed by Trump, he said in a post on X: “The SHANTI Act may well be called the TRUMP Act – The Reactor Use and Management Promise Act.”
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The new law states that mining of uranium and thorium, enrichment, isotopic separation, reprocessing of spent fuel, high-level radioactive waste management and heavy water production will remain exclusively with the central government or government-owned entities.
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