Context:

• Human development is closely linked to rising energy consumption. Earl Cook’s 1971 Scientific American study showed that as societies evolved—from primitive to digital stages—their energy needs expanded steadily.
• Today’s digital economy adds new, significant energy demands.
• This article highlights how India’s pursuit of higher human development is inseparable from a massive expansion and decarbonisation of energy supply, placing nuclear power—and the SHANTI Bill, 2025—at the centre of its long-term development strategy.

Energy Growth Required for India’s Human Development Goals

• Human Development Index (HDI) closely correlates with per capita Final Energy Consumption (FEC), linking development outcomes with energy availability.
• As a G20-member aspiring to an HDI of 0.9 or higher, India would need to generate around 24,000 TWh of energy annually, even after accounting for improvements in energy efficiency and electrification.
• Of this, about 60% would be used as electricity, while the remaining would go into hydrogen production via electrolysers, essential for decarbonising hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, fertilisers and plastics.
• If alternative low-energy hydrogen production methods mature, electricity demand could reduce.
• India’s electricity generation in 2023-24 was about 1,950 TWh, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of ~4.8% in recent years. At this pace, reaching 24,000 TWh would take four to five decades.
• However, two major challenges
  • First, India must decarbonise its energy mix while scaling generation.
  • Second, electrification of end uses must expand sharply, as electricity currently accounts for only about 22% of FEC.
• Achieving development goals therefore requires not just higher generation, but a transition away from fossil fuels towards hydro, nuclear, solar and wind power, alongside systemic energy redesign.

Nuclear Power and India’s Decarbonised Energy Mix

• Limits of Renewable Energy Sources
  • India’s hydro and wind potential is inherently limited, while high population density restricts the availability of land for large-scale solar photovoltaic deployment.
  • Although hydro, solar and wind must be fully utilised, their combined potential is insufficient to meet the energy levels required for India to achieve an HDI above 0.9.
  • As a result, nuclear power must be significantly expanded, and fossil fuels will remain necessary in the interim.
• Need for Reliable Baseload Power
  • Solar and wind are intermittent energy sources, with output varying by time of day and season.
  • Large-scale electricity storage to balance this variability is costly and often economically unviable, especially for seasonal fluctuations.
  • To ensure affordable and reliable power, India’s energy mix requires baseload generation that is independent of weather or time.
  • Nuclear power plants provide stable baseload electricity, making them essential for a decarbonised system.
• Indigenous Nuclear Capability
  • India has built strong indigenous capacity across the nuclear energy supply chain.
  • While uranium must be imported due to limited domestic reserves, the country has developed technologies for fuel fabrication, heavy water production, and equipment manufacturing.
  • The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has mastered the design and operation of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), including the 700 MW class.
• Expansion of Nuclear Power
  • Currently, three 700 MW PHWR units are operational, a fourth is nearing completion, and two more are under advanced construction.
  • In 2017, the government approved the construction of 10 additional 700 MW PHWRs, with work progressing steadily, signalling a major scale-up of nuclear capacity.
• Safety, Regulation and Waste Management
  • India established a nuclear regulatory body in the 1980s with robust oversight capabilities.
  • The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has developed technologies for reprocessing spent fuel and managing nuclear waste.
  • Together, these efforts make nuclear power a technically feasible, safe, and cost-effective pillar of India’s long-term decarbonised energy strategy.

The SHANTI Bill, 2025: A New Push for Nuclear Energy

• Ambitious Nuclear Expansion Target
  • Building on recent successes in nuclear power, the Union government has set a target of 100 GW of installed nuclear capacity by mid-century.
  • It is planning for a major expansion of the sector to support long-term development and decarbonisation goals.
• Consolidated Legal Framework
  • Parliament has passed the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025.
  • It is an overarching legislation that consolidates and harmonises provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010.
• Regulatory and Safety Provisions
  • The Bill provides continuity in regulation by stating that the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) “shall be deemed to have been constituted under this Act.”
  • It clearly assigns the primary responsibility for safety, security and safeguards to the licensee of the nuclear facility, strengthening accountability.
• Strategic Significance
  • With its ambitious capacity target and streamlined legal framework, the SHANTI Bill represents a bold policy step.
  • Such decisive measures, coupled with long-term vision, are viewed as essential for India’s transition to a developed, energy-secure and low-carbon economy.