Draft SHANTI Rules 2026 on Nuclear Liability

The Department of Atomic Energy issued the draft Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy (SHANTI) Rules, 2026 on 14 August 2026. The draft rules replace several older civil nuclear and radiation protection frameworks and set out liability, insurance, and financial security requirements for nuclear installation operators in India.

Nuclear Liability Framework

The draft rules require a nuclear installation operator to maintain an insurance policy, financial security, or both, for civil nuclear damage. The operator’s liability for nuclear damage is strict and follows a no-fault liability principle, including damage arising during transport of nuclear material.

The no-fault liability model is a legal framework in which compensation can be claimed without proving negligence. Civil nuclear liability rules in India are linked to operator responsibility, financial security, and compensation mechanisms for nuclear damage.

Financial Security and Insurance Provisions

The draft rules state that an operator’s financial security must be irrevocable and remain in force until all spent fuel is removed from storage pools. If shares, bonds, or other financial instruments are pledged to the Central Government as security, the operator must maintain a security margin of 1:1.33 and cover any shortfall immediately.

The rules also provide for periodic review of the maximum limits of an operator’s civil liability for nuclear damage. An expert group is proposed to examine these limits once every five years.

Technology, Fuel Cycle, and Civil Uses

For foreign-design reactors, the draft rules require certification by the regulatory body of the technology’s country of origin. The reactor technology must already be operational in that country or in another foreign nation before use in India.

The draft expands permitted nuclear technology applications to captive power, hydrogen production, process heat, and medical isotope production. These uses fall within the broader civil applications of nuclear energy and nuclear technology.

Important Facts for Exams

• The Department of Atomic Energy is India’s nodal body for atomic energy policy and administration.
• Strict liability and no-fault liability are common legal concepts in nuclear damage compensation frameworks.
• Spent fuel refers to nuclear fuel that has been irradiated in a reactor and removed from the core.
• Medical isotopes are radioactive substances used in diagnosis and treatment in nuclear medicine.

Indian Nuclear Regulation

India’s civil nuclear framework covers operator liability, compensation, and safety oversight for nuclear installations. Nuclear regulation also includes rules for transport of nuclear material, storage of spent fuel, and approval of reactor technologies.