Overview
- India’s Atomic Energy Commission chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty met US Energy Secretary Chris Wright in Washington on Wednesday to review recent bilateral civil nuclear cooperation ahead of the IAEA ATLAS ministerial launch.
- The IAEA launched the ATLAS initiative to explore small modular reactors for civilian ships and offshore energy and to build a roadmap on regulation, safety, security, safeguards and liability.
- India has opened its civil nuclear sector to private firms and set a policy goal of 100 gigawatts of nuclear capacity by 2047, creating new commercial openings for foreign partners.
- Several US nuclear companies have expressed interest in investing and partnering in India, and both governments discussed policy steps to link US commercial offers to India’s market reforms.
- Officials stressed that wider use of SMRs at sea or offshore will depend on harmonized legal and regulatory rules, aligned liability frameworks and agreed international safeguards before deployment can proceed.