India’s nuclear energy architecture – global actions and local responses

Abstract

Post-Fukushima, while some countries decided to shift away from nuclear energy, others like India that continue to pursue their nuclear ambitions have been facing challenges domestically – especially, local-level protests against expansion of nuclear energy. In parallel, India has made significant progress at the global front in civilian nuclear energy ties. While India has attained prominence internationally, the domestic perception of nuclear energy has been mixed resulting in delays affecting the achievement of energy security objectives – a major concern for India. In this context, the paper would comprehensively discuss the role of India’s nuclear energy architecture globally and locally to understand this contrast and its future implications for India’s nuclear energy sector. It would focus on the role of the state and influence of other stakeholders, the key domestic concerns around nuclear energy expansion, besides locating India in the global nuclear energy order post the nuclear agreements.