New Delhi: India is preparing for its most sweeping shift in nuclear policy in more than six decades, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi announcing plans to allow private participation in the country’s civilian nuclear sector. The declaration, made during the inauguration of Skyroot Aerospace’s Infinity Campus in Hyderabad, places nuclear energy on the same reform trajectory that reshaped India’s space ecosystem.
Modi connected the rise of private space firms like Skyroot with the need to break long-standing monopolies in other strategic areas. “We’ll open up the nuclear sector to the private sector soon,” Modi said. “This will strengthen opportunities in small modular and advanced reactors and nuclear innovations.” It was a brief announcement, yet it carried sweeping economic and strategic implications.
For more than 60 years, India’s nuclear power architecture has been tightly controlled by the state. The Atomic Energy Act of 1962 created a system in which nuclear generation was treated as an extension of national security, leaving little room for private initiative. The sector became defined by centralisation, caution, and an ideological suspicion of private capital in areas deemed sensitive.
Modi’s statement breaks from this legacy. It reflects a recognition that private innovation, capital, and competition can strengthen national capability rather than diminish it.
The reform does not involve nuclear weapons or strategic assets. Instead, it focuses entirely on civilian nuclear energy: power generation, reactor development, advanced manufacturing, supply chains, and research. The government’s priorities include Bharat Small Reactors, small modular reactors, and next-generation advanced systems.
Small modular reactors have attracted global attention for their compact design, lower land requirement, shorter deployment timelines, and passive safety features. In a country as densely populated as India, these characteristics offer clear advantages. Opening the sector to private firms aims to speed up deployment, deepen manufacturing capacity, and link Indian industry with international innovation networks.
By allowing private players into an area once defined by strict state control, India is signalling a shift in how it views technology, energy strategy, and national capability. The announcement marks the beginning of a new chapter in the country’s civilian nuclear journey, one that blends state oversight with private innovation to meet future energy demands.
BI Bureau
