US approves historic nuclear tech transfer to India, boosting civil deal

In a watershed moment, the US Department of Energy (DoE) has issued groundbreaking regulatory approval to a US company for the design and construction of nuclear reactors in India, thus marking the potential commercial realization of the India-US civil nuclear agreement that was concluded two decades ago.

Holtec International, a US-based company, on March 26, 2025, got regulatory approval to transfer unclassified small modular reactor (SMR) technology to three Indian companies, as reported by The Indian Express. The approval, which is limited to the scarcity-centered “10CFR810” regulation of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act, permits Holtec to transfer technology to its Indian regional subsidiary Holtec Asia, as well as Tata Consulting Engineers Ltd. and Larsen & Toubro Ltd.

Holtec has been engaged in manufacturing operations in Dahej, Gujarat, and engineering operations in Pune since 2010, and was founded by Indian-American Kris P. Singh. The Holtec request originally incorporated Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL), NTPC Ltd., and Atomic Energy Review Board (AERB), but the Indian government did not provide the critical non-proliferation assurances for NPCIL, NTPC, or the AERB, said the Indian Express report.

Nevertheless, Holtec may apply for an amendment in the future to incorporate them as permissible end-users. The authorisation has a 10-year duration, which may be reviewed every 5 years. This authorisation is dependent upon assurances from the Indian government regarding the private entities that will be receiving the technology, which on March 3, 2025, assured that the private entities receiving the technology will only use the technology for peaceful use of nuclear activities involving International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and were prohibited from using the authorisation for military or nuclear explosive devices.