Industry wants to build nuclear reactors in India, possible with SHANTI Act: US delegate

The recent enactment of the SHANTI Act, 2025 has opened up numerous opportunities for the commercial nuclear industry to work with India, one of the top US delegates currently visiting the country has said.

A high-level senior US delegation is in India this week as part of the 'US Executive Nuclear Mission to India', jointly led by Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), a lobby group for the American commercial nuclear industry, and the US India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF). It also includes companies' representatives from across the nuclear energy value chain.

Speaking to PTI, Maria Korsnick, president and CEO of the NEI said the industry wants to work with the Indian commercial nuclear sector and the government to build nuclear reactors in the country.

''The SHANTI Act has given us an opening to create a relationship between the US industry and the Indian industry,'' Korsnick said.

On Monday, the delegation met Union Ministers Manohar Lal Khattar and Jitendra Singh and discussed expanding the scope of India-“US cooperation in clean energy and critical technologies.

''The innovation in commercial nuclear power in the United States is absolutely amazing. For many years, we have had lightwater technology. Now, we also have advanced reactors, high-temperature gas reactors and molten salt reactors,'' Korsnick said.

''All of these are happening in the United States, including large reactors, medium reactors, and small reactors. So it is really up to India -- what it wants and what it is interested in so that we can form partnerships,'' she added.

It is not the first time NEI representatives have travelled to India for such talks. Their first visit came back in 2006.

''Twenty years ago, we came to India for a trade mission. However, it did not take off due to nuclear liability concerns, which were different in India compared to other countries,'' Korsnick said.

She added that the SHANTI Act had addressed those concerns, and the nuclear industry had also evolved in the past 20 years.

''Before,it was just about large reactors, and now, here are large, medium and small reactors with many different opportunities to work together,'' she said.

Kosnick added, ''It is really a new day for the nuclear sector.''

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)