India’s nuclear expansion and SHANTI Act open new avenues for India-US industry collaboration: Dr Jitendra Singh

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Jitendra Singh, on Monday said there is significant scope for India-US collaboration in advanced areas such as micro-reactors, AI-enabled nuclear safety systems, scientific computing, nuclear energy modelling, and institutional capacity building.

Dr Singh, who held discussions with US industry leaders on nuclear energy cooperation, said India is also moving ahead with plans for the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), supported by an allocation of nearly Rs 20,000 crore.

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A high-level US industry delegation comprising representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) held detailed discussions with Dr Singh on emerging opportunities for private investment and industry collaboration in India’s nuclear sector.

The delegation visit, facilitated by the USISPF, brought together senior representatives from the US nuclear industry, business stakeholders, and officials associated with India-US cooperation in civil nuclear energy and advanced technologies.

The interaction focused on India’s ambitious Nuclear Energy Mission, recent policy reforms enabling greater private sector participation, and the expanding scope of India-US cooperation in clean energy and critical technologies.

Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Dr Rajesh S. Gokhale, senior officials from the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology, along with representatives of US industry organisations, participated in the discussions.

Dr Singh said India and the United States today share a strong and future-oriented partnership in science, technology, clean energy, and emerging sectors, with civil nuclear cooperation steadily gaining strategic and economic significance.

He said the launch of the US-India TRUST Initiative during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on February 13, 2025, has opened new avenues for collaboration in critical and emerging technologies.

The Minister said the TRUST Initiative, centred around trusted technology partnerships, resilient supply chains, and innovation ecosystems, provides a strong framework for deeper engagement among governments, industry, academia, and startups in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, quantum technologies, advanced materials, critical minerals, energy, and space technologies.

Referring to India’s long-term clean energy goals under the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, Dr Singh said India aims to increase its nuclear power capacity from the present 8.8 GW to 100 GW by 2047 through a phased and carefully planned expansion strategy.

He said India’s rapidly growing nuclear energy programme is creating major opportunities for global partnerships in manufacturing, technology cooperation, supply chain integration, and advanced research.

The Minister informed the delegation that India has recently enacted the SHANTI Act, 2025, a major policy reform aimed at facilitating greater participation of the private sector, including foreign participation, in the nuclear energy sector.

He said the reform is expected to create a more enabling ecosystem for investment, industrial collaboration, manufacturing partnerships, and technology cooperation aligned with India’s Nuclear Energy Mission.

The Minister added that the implementation framework under the Act is being finalised to further strengthen collaborative opportunities in the sector.

The discussions also reviewed progress in several ongoing India-US collaborative initiatives, including the proposed Westinghouse Electric Company AP1000 project at Kovvada, cooperation under the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Energy Working Group (CNEWG), hydrogen production and integrated energy systems, machine learning and AI applications, rare earth collaboration, and high-intensity superconducting proton accelerator technologies through Fermilab partnerships.

The meeting further reviewed progress in the LIGO-India project being jointly implemented by the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with the US-based LIGO Laboratory and the National Science Foundation.

Approved with a budgetary provision of Rs 2,600 crore, the project is regarded as one of the most significant examples of advanced scientific collaboration between India and the United States.

The interaction concluded with a shared commitment to deepen practical, industry-led, and mutually beneficial cooperation between India and the United States in clean energy, nuclear technologies, advanced manufacturing, and innovation-driven sectors.