US envoy Sergio Gor meets DAE Secretary, congratulates him for enactment of SHANTI Act

In a post on X, he said that India is one of the consequential partners of the US in the energy sector cooperation.

"The United States is charting the future of energy security, and India is one of our consequential partners. I met Dr. Ajit Kumar Mohanty, Secretary of India's Department of Atomic Energy, congratulating him on the passage of the SHANTI Act," he said in a post on X.

The SHANTI Act, which received the assent of President Droupadi Murmu in December last year, allows private sector participation for setting up a nuclear facility, or to carry out activities for the production, use and disposal of nuclear energy under a license from the Central Government and safety authorization of the Regulatory Board.

The Act has been enacted for the promotion and development of nuclear energy and ionising radiation for nuclear power generation, and other non-power applications, and for its safe and secure utilisation.

Gor, who earlier in the day spoke at the 'Vision India 2047' CITI 2026 India event in Mumbai, said that the US is looking to deepen civil nuclear cooperation with India and bring in private sector-led solutions to meet the country's growing power demand.

Addressing business leaders, Gor said the two countries are "pushing our Civil Nuclear sector partnership to new levels" and described the civil nuclear sector as a "very big growth area over the next few years."

He noted that his mission recently hosted member companies of the US Nuclear Energy Institute in India "to share how a vibrant private sector-led civil nuclear industry can contribute to safe and secure civil nuclear power meeting India's projected power demand that fuels its economic growth."

Gor noted that the focus of the collaboration is on leveraging private sector capabilities to expand India's nuclear capacity. "We're looking forward to decades of future cooperation between our civil nuclear sectors," he said. The ambassador stressed that such long-term investments will require support from the financial services sector and American businesses, framing it as a "win-win situation" for both economies.

In his remarks, Gor also said that last week the US signed the Critical Minerals Framework with India.

"It is a massive milestone which will help ensure the foundational elements required for advanced technology and energy are available within trusted networks."

The comments come as the US and India expand the TRUST Initiative launched in February 2025, which targets strategic technologies including AI, semiconductors, quantum computing and critical minerals.

Gor linked nuclear energy to the broader goal of securing trusted supply chains for advanced technology and energy.

"Together, we will undertake efforts to protect sensitive supply chains from coercive market practices and reduce our collective vulnerability to single-source monopolies," he said.

Gor also pointed to high-level engagement as a signal of Washington's commitment to the partnership, noting visits by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other cabinet officials.

He quoted Secretary Rubio's remarks at the 'Freedom 250' event: "If I think about all of the key issues and all of the key opportunities of the modern economy, India and the United States together, are perfectly positioned to work together on these issues to achieve a better life for the people of the United States, for the people of India.

"With India's power demand projected to rise sharply, Gor said the civil nuclear roadmap envisions decades of cooperation, anchored by private sector participation, investment from financial institutions, and joint work by US and Indian entrepreneurs. The Embassy, he added, is taking a "results-driven" approach to identify sectoral opportunities that benefit both nations. (ANI)