Nuclear Fuel Cycle — Tech Evolutions

Entry	Year	Description	Impact
Atomic Energy (Amendment) Bill, 2015	2015	This amendment to the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, enabled the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to form joint ventures with other public sector undertakings (PSUs) for setting up nuclear power projects. This was a significant policy shift aimed at accelerating nuclear power capacity addition by allowing greater investment and resource mobilization beyond NPCIL's sole responsibility.	Facilitated increased investment and faster deployment of nuclear power plants, particularly for Light Water Reactors (LWRs) imported under international cooperation agreements. It indirectly impacts the demand side of the nuclear fuel cycle by enabling more reactors, thus increasing the need for fuel fabrication, enrichment (if applicable), and spent fuel management infrastructure.
India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement (123 Agreement)	2008	While not an amendment to an Indian act, this bilateral agreement, coupled with the NSG waiver, effectively 'amended' India's international nuclear standing. It allowed India to engage in civil nuclear trade with the international community, ending decades of isolation. It mandated the separation of India's civilian and military nuclear facilities and placed civilian facilities under IAEA safeguards.	Revolutionized India's access to the global nuclear fuel market, enabling import of uranium fuel and advanced reactor technologies. It significantly eased constraints on the front-end of India's civilian nuclear fuel cycle, allowing for faster expansion of nuclear power generation and reducing reliance solely on indigenous, limited uranium resources. It also brought a portion of India's fuel cycle under international safeguards.