Indian billionaire businessman and founder and chairman of the Adani Group, Gautam Adani. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The Adani Group announced its entry into the nuclear power sector on Thursday (February 12, 2026), via a regulatory filing. This is the first instance of a major power company in India doing so, following the passage of the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act in December.
“We wish to inform you that Adani Power Limited (APL) has incorporated a wholly owned subsidiary — Adani Atomic Energy Limited,” the company said, in a notice to the National Stock Exchange of India on February 12. It did not offer any details on the exact nature of the group’s plans.
The Hindu reached out to Adani Power for more details but did not receive a comment before the time of publication.
New law
The SHANTI Act, which was passed by both Houses of Parliament in December, replaces the Atomic Energy Act and allows private companies to operate nuclear power plants in India. It also allows such companies to form joint ventures with foreign companies for technology collaboration.
There has been criticism of the Adani Group’s nuclear power plans since at least November 29, 2025, when a senior Adani executive, Jugeshinder “Robbie” Singh, expressed the Group’s interest in the sector.
During the Parliamentary debate on the Bill, Congress MP Manish Tewari insinuated that the SHANTI Act had been brought in by the NDA government to facilitate the Adani Group’s entry into the sector. “Is it a coincidence that the Bill has been brought at a time when the Adani Group has expressed interest in the sector?” he asked, in his opening remarks.
Private players in nuclear power
The first suggestion of policy change came in February 2025, when Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the government would allow private participation in the nuclear power sector to aid India’s “energy transition”, including a 100 gigawatt nuclear power target by 2047.
Following Adani Power’s regulatory filing, Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh posted on X on Friday, repeating the allegations that the legislation was meant to benefit the Adanis. “The SHANTI Bill was rushed through Parliament…it was enacted to favour the favourite…the real meaning of SHANTI is Shriman Adani’s Nuclear Tech Initiative,” he said.
India has an installed nuclear power capacity of 8.8 GW, with the government claiming that it will rise to 32 GW in the next decade. It currently contributes about 3% of generated electricity.
Published – February 13, 2026 08:51 pm IST
