Now Reading: SHANTI draft rules require insurance cover for nuclear operators
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SHANTI draft rules require insurance cover for nuclear operators
The Department of Atomic Energy has released draft rules under the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy (SHANTI) Act, 2025, requiring nuclear plant operators to maintain insurance, financial security or both…
The Story in Brief
The Department of Atomic Energy has released draft rules under the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy (SHANTI) Act, 2025, requiring nuclear plant operators to maintain insurance, financial security or both against nuclear damage. The cover must continue until all spent fuel is removed from the relevant storage pool.
The Centre will appoint an expert group every five years to review operators’ maximum civil liability limits. Foreign-designed reactors will need approval from the regulator in their country of origin and must already operate in India or another foreign country. The rules also allow in-principle approval before a site or technology is chosen, and propose one composite licence for construction, ownership, operation and decommissioning.
The Indian Opinion
Claims that the draft either removes all safeguards or makes nuclear expansion effortless would both overstate its effect. Insurance and continuing financial security address liability, while foreign-design conditions set a quality filter. Yet the rules leave the liability ceiling to periodic review and allow land and vendor negotiations before a site or technology is finalised. Public scrutiny should focus on the final liability limits and the regulator’s approval process, not just the promise of faster clearances.
Sources (3): economictimes.indiatimes.com, indiatoday.in, thehindubusinessline.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above.
Updated: this story now draws on 3 sources.
