NEW DELHI: Government is considering amendments to the laws governing the nuclear power domain, including the sectoral regulator, to allow participation of private sector as India eyes to produce 100 GW atomic energy by 2047.Government sources said amendments were being considered to the Atomic Energy Act to allow private sector participation and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act to limit the liability on suppliers of equipment to build atomic energy plants.The government is also considering regulatory reforms and is evaluating the model of Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center (INSPACe) which acts as the promoter and regulator for the space sector that was opened up for private participation in 2020.Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced opening up of the nuclear power sector which has been restricted to public sector companies.The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited operates atomic power plants across the country that contribute 8.7 GWe to the country’s energy mix.Sitharaman also announced the Nuclear Energy Mission for research and development of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) with an outlay of Rs 20,000 crore and to operationalise five indigenously developed SMRs by 2033.
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