Should India amend its nuclear energy laws?

Discussions are ongoing in India to amend both the country’s nuclear liability framework, regulated by the 2010 Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act (CLNDA) the 1962 Atomic Energy Act to allow private companies to build and operate nuclear energy generation facilities. This move is part of a broader strategy to expand India’s nuclear energy capacity from the current 8 GW to 100 GW by 2047, aligning with the country’s clean energy goals. India has 22 nuclear power generation plants operated by the state-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), while two more sites in Andhra and Maharashtra have ongoing projects that have been delayed mainly due to reservations that Electricite de France through Areva and the American Westinghouse Corporation - have on India’s supplier liability clause. India’s CLNDA is unique in explicitly allowing the operator of a nuclear facility to seek recourse against suppliers in specific cases of defective equipment or services. There have been both support for these amendments and criticism against them. Should India amend its nuclear energy laws? Here we discuss the question.   Guests: Dr. Ashley Tellis and D. Raghunandan Host: Kunal Shankar Edited by Jude Francis Weston