Washington: US Energy Secretary Chris Wright briefed a delegation of senior executives from the American nuclear industry scheduled to visit India next week to explore areas of cooperation after New Delhi opened up the tightly-controlled sector for private players.
A 20-member US executive nuclear industry delegation will interact with government officials and private sector leaders keen to explore opportunities in the civil nuclear sector available since the enactment of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) law in December last year.
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The SHANTI Act replaced the Atomic Energy Act of 1964 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CNLD) Act of 2010. The CNLD Act had tougher liability provisions on nuclear suppliers, which global companies found to be an impediment to exploring the Indian market.
The US nuclear industry delegation is travelling to India as part of an initiative by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum and the Nuclear Energy Institute.
"USISPF and the Nuclear Energy Institute (@NEI) were honoured to welcome the US Secretary of Energy @SecretaryWright for a briefing with members of the US Executive Nuclear Industry Delegation ahead of their visit to India," the USISPF said in a post on X on Friday.
The US industry delegation is expected to explore joint project opportunities with the Indian private sector in civil nuclear energy.
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After the India-US civil nuclear agreement was signed in 2008, two sites - Chhayamithi Virdi in Gujarat and Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh were allotted to US companies to establish 1000 MW nuclear power plants.
India and the US are also exploring cooperation in small modular reactors (SMRs), which are billed as the future of nuclear power due to ease of deployment, particularly by repurposing sites of coal-based power plants.
"Legislations like the SHANTI Act and EO14299 have led to a revival of dialogue on nuclear energy in both India and the US. We can expect more opportunities for private companies from the two countries to collaborate in this sector," said Abhik Sengupta, a programme officer with a Washington-based industry body.
The US is also taking steps to fasten SMR deployment and explore recycling and reprocessing of spent fuel. The US has not reprocessed or recycled nuclear fuel since 1970.
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In India, private sector players such as Tata Consulting Engineers, Adani Group, Larsen and Toubro, among others, have evinced interest in the civil nuclear sector.
India's public sector undertaking, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), has established a joint venture with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to build at least six power plants at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan and Chutka in Madhya Pradesh.
India has set a target of producing 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047, a significant rise from the present installed capacity of nearly 9 GW.
