New Delhi: The United States (US) has welcomed the passage of SHANTI Act and indicated its readiness to deepen cooperation with India in the nuclear energy sector, according to a post by the US Embassy in India on social media platform X.
“We welcome India’s new #SHANTIBill, a step towards a stronger energy security partnership and peaceful civil nuclear cooperation. The United States stands ready to undertake joint innovation and R&D in the energy sector,” the embassy said in the post.int innovation and R&D in the energy sector.”
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The reaction comes days after India’s Parliament cleared amendments to the country’s nuclear liability framework, ending the state monopoly in nuclear power generation and opening the sector to private investment.
The legislative changes limit supplier liability in the event of a nuclear incident and revise the liability regime that had earlier been cited as a deterrent for foreign participation in India’s nuclear energy sector.
India’s earlier liability framework, enacted in 2010, allowed suppliers to face damage claims following a nuclear accident, a provision that had constrained overseas involvement in nuclear projects.
India and the United States signed a civil nuclear agreement in 2008, ending a decades-long global embargo on atomic trade with India and enabling the country to legally import nuclear fuel and technology.
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However, the liability provisions introduced subsequently had slowed implementation of the agreement. With Parliament now clearing amendments to the liability framework, the SHANTI Bill has renewed international interest in civil nuclear cooperation with India, as reflected in the US response.
