SHANTI Draft Rules and Regulations: Single licence regime and technology from self-reliant countries proposed

New Delhi: The keenly awaited draft rules and regulations for the SHANTI Act, promising to open the tightly held nuclear power sector, are finally out. A single composite licence regime for building, owning, operating and decommissioning of nuclear power plants, besides opening pathways for private players and foreign technology from countries that are 'self-reliant' in nuclear reactor design and supply chain, has been announced.

Private applicants, however, must come with a mandatory insurance policy and/or financial security that will continue right up to the decommissioning of the plant and waste management cycles, as per the draft rules put out by the Department of Atomic Energy for public comment until September 4.

The draft details that a foreign design reactor will only be permitted if it is operational and certified by the regulatory body in its 'country of origin' or any other foreign country. The 'country of origin' will mean those countries which are 'self-reliant in nuclear reactor design and supply chain ecosystem, whose regulatory approvals are trusted globally' - essentially restricting the participation to a handful of nations.


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The draft rules underline that the technology intended to be imported or acquired domestically should not 'adversely affect the interest of India.