Rs.20,000cr development of Small Modular Reactors in progress
Emerging opportunities for private investment and industry collaboration in India’s nuclear sector were discussed in Delhi 18 May by a visiting high-level US industry delegation comprising representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) with Minister of State Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space Dr Jitendra Singh.
The delegation visits, facilitated by the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, brought together senior representatives from the U.S. nuclear industry, business stakeholders and officials associated with India–U.S. cooperation in civil nuclear energy and advanced technologies.
The interaction focused on India’s ambitious Nuclear Energy Mission, recent policy reforms enabling greater private sector participation, and the expanding scope of India–US cooperation in clean energy and critical technologies. Secretary, Department of Science & Technology, Dr Rajesh S. Gokhale, senior officials from the Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Science & Technology, along with representatives from US industry organisations, participated in the discussions.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, “India and the United States today share a strong and future-oriented partnership in science, technology, clean energy and emerging sectors, with civil nuclear cooperation steadily gaining strategic and economic significance.”
The launch of the US-India TRUST Initiative during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump on 13 February 2025 has opened new avenues for collaboration in critical and emerging technologies.
The Minister said the TRUST initiative, centred around trusted technology partnerships, resilient supply chains and innovation ecosystems, provides a strong framework for deeper engagement among governments, industry, academia and startups in areas such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, biotechnology, quantum technologies, advanced materials, critical minerals, energy and space technologies.
Referring to India’s long-term clean energy goals under the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, Dr Jitendra Singh said India aims to increase its nuclear power capacity from the present 8.8 GW to 100 GW by 2047 through a phased and carefully planned expansion strategy. He said India’s rapidly growing nuclear energy programme is creating major opportunities for global partnerships in manufacturing, technology cooperation, supply chain integration and advanced research.
The Minister informed the delegation that India has recently enacted the SHANTI Act, 2025, a major policy reform aimed at facilitating greater participation of the private sector, including foreign participation, in the nuclear energy sector.
He said the reform is expected to create a more enabling ecosystem for investment, industrial collaboration, manufacturing partnerships and technology cooperation aligned with India’s Nuclear Energy Mission. He added that the implementation framework under the Act is being finalised to further strengthen collaborative opportunities in the sector.
Dr Jitendra Singh said India is also moving ahead with plans for development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), supported by an allocation of nearly Rs.20,000 crore, and added that there is significant scope for India–US collaboration in advanced areas such as micro-reactors, AI-enabled nuclear safety systems, scientific computing, nuclear energy modelling and institutional capacity building.
The discussions also reviewed progress in several ongoing India–U.S. collaborative initiatives including the proposed Westinghouse AP1000 project at Kovvada, cooperation under the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Energy Working Group (CNEWG), hydrogen production and integrated energy systems, machine learning and AI applications, rare earth collaboration, and high-intensity superconducting proton accelerator technologies through Fermilab partnerships.
The meeting further covered progress in the LIGO-India project being jointly implemented by the Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Science & Technology in collaboration with the US-based LIGO Laboratory and the National Science Foundation. Approved with a budgetary provision of Rs.2,600 crore, the project is regarded as one of the most significant examples of advanced scientific collaboration between India and the United States.
The interaction concluded with a shared commitment to deepen practical, industry-led and mutually beneficial cooperation between India and the United States in clean energy, nuclear technologies, advanced manufacturing and innovation-driven sectors, the Ministry of Science and Technology said. fiinews.com
