India-US
Big boost to India’s nuclear dream: US industry giants eye massive investment opportunities
A high-level U.S. industry delegation comprising representatives from the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) on Monday held detailed discussions with Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh on emerging opportunities for private investment and industry collaboration in India’s nuclear sector.
The visit, facilitated by the U.S.-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 discussions focused on India’s ambitious Nuclear Energy Mission, recent policy reforms enabling greater private-sector participation, and the expanding scope of India-U.S. collaboration in clean energy and critical technologies.
Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Dr. Rajesh S. Gokhale, senior officials from the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology, along with representatives of U.S. industry organisations, also participated in the meeting.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said India and the United States today share a strong and forward-looking partnership in science, technology, clean energy, and emerging sectors, with civil nuclear cooperation steadily gaining strategic and economic significance.
He noted that the launch of the U.S.-India TRUST Initiative during the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump on February 13, 2025, has opened new avenues for collaboration in critical and emerging technologies.
The Minister said the TRUST initiative—focused on trusted technology partnerships, resilient supply chains, and innovation ecosystems—provides a robust 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 vision under Viksit Bharat 2047, Dr. Singh said India aims to scale up its nuclear power capacity from the current 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 significant 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 landmark policy reform aimed at enabling greater private-sector participation, including foreign investment, in the nuclear energy sector.
He said the reform is expected to create a more conducive 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 currently being finalised to further strengthen collaborative opportunities.
Dr. Singh said India is also moving ahead with plans to develop Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), backed by an allocation of nearly ₹20,000 crore, and highlighted significant scope for India-U.S. 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 on several ongoing India-U.S. collaborative initiatives, including the proposed Westinghouse AP1000 project at Kovvada, cooperation under the Indo-U.S. 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 assessed progress on the LIGO-India project, being jointly implemented by the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology in collaboration with the U.S.-based LIGO Laboratory and the National Science Foundation.
Approved with a budgetary allocation of ₹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 the two countries in clean energy, nuclear technologies, advanced manufacturing, and innovation-driven sectors.
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