SHANTI Act draft rules mandate insurance cover for nuke plant operators

The Centre has released draft SHANTI rules detailing liability cover, licencing and foreign reactor approvals. The framework aims to tighten safeguards while streamlining nuclear power project clearances.Under SHANTI Act, the draft rules also set out provisions on civil liability, licencing and foreign reactor designs. (File photo)Draft rules under the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy (SHANTI) Act, 2025, say nuclear plant operators must maintain an insurance policy, financial security, or a combination of both to cover nuclear damage. The rules, released by the Department of Atomic Energy on Friday, also say this financial security must remain in place till all spent fuel is removed from the storage pool concerned.The draft rules also set out provisions on civil liability, licencing and foreign reactor designs. They say the Centre must constitute, once every five years, a group of experts to review the maximum limits of an operator's civil liability for nuclear damage.Another provision says that if a nuclear power plant or reactor is of a foreign design, the design must be certified or approved in the country of origin by its regulatory body. The draft rules define the country of origin as countries that are self-reliant in nuclear reactor design and supply-chain ecosystem, and whose regulatory approvals are trusted globally.They also say such a nuclear power plant or reactor should be operational either in the country of origin or in any other foreign country. The draft rules further say the licencing authority may grant "in-principle approval" after admitting an application where the site or technology has not been selected. "Upon receipt of a valid 'in-principle approval', the applicant may proceed with negotiation with reactor technology vendors and for acquiring the land and other necessary infrastructure," the draft rules say.They also provide for a single composite licence authorising the building, owning, operating and decommissioning of the nuclear power plant or reactor. "No licence shall be applied for, granted, divided, or severed ... in respect of any of those activities separately," the draft rules say. - EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 15, 2026 14:28 IST