What is a central function of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board?

Operating nuclear electricity-generating units

Manufacturing fuel for nuclear power plants

Overseeing nuclear and radiation safety

Financing construction of nuclear power plants

What gives ionising radiation its name?

Its capacity to remove electrons from atoms or molecules

Its capacity to excite atoms without forming ions

Its capacity to change nuclear-spin alignment in a magnetic field

Its capacity to amplify low-frequency radio waves

AERB: How Safety Review Follows a Nuclear Facility Through Its Life

Why in news?

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) Chairperson A.K. Balasubrahmanian said the regulator would maintain its safety requirements while providing an enabling environment for private participation in nuclear energy. The Hindu reported his remarks on 5 November 2026, following a nuclear-science symposium in Thiruvananthapuram. The discussion draws attention to how safety review accompanies the development and operation of nuclear facilities.

What AERB regulates

AERB oversees nuclear and radiation safety in India. Its work concerns the protection of workers, the public and the environment. Regulation involves setting requirements, reviewing safety submissions, issuing consents and checking compliance through inspections and continuing assessment.

Ionising radiation carries enough energy to remove electrons from atoms or molecules. It is used in fields such as power generation, medicine, industry and research. Controlling exposure and the handling of radioactive material is therefore part of the safety framework for facilities using these technologies.

Safety review through a facility’s life

AERB describes consent as permission for a specified activity, subject to requirements and conditions. Nuclear facilities move through stages: siting, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning. The review examines the work proposed at each stage and the evidence that the relevant safety requirements have been met.

Siting considers the suitability of a location and its interaction with the proposed facility. Construction review examines the design and arrangements for building it. Commissioning tests whether installed systems perform as intended. Operating oversight involves continued monitoring and review. Decommissioning covers retirement from service and the safe management of that process.

Diagram lists siting, construction, commissioning, operation and decommissioning, with the main focus of review at each stage. — Regulatory review follows a nuclear facility through successive stages. Clarity original diagram; source: AERB’s licensing and consenting explanation.

An example from Kudankulam

On 30 April 2026, AERB issued permission for major equipment erection at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Units 5 and 6. The Department of Atomic Energy announced this on 1 May. The permission allowed the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to install equipment including reactor pressure vessels, steam generators and coolant pumps.

The decision followed a multi-tier review of the units’ design and assessment of civil-construction progress under an earlier permission. This illustrates how a large construction stage can contain further review points for specific activities. Kudankulam is in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu, and uses Russian-origin VVER pressurised-water-reactor technology.

How engineering layers support safety

AERB’s account of nuclear-power-plant safety describes defence in depth: several protective layers built into design and operation. These include systems to shut down the reactor, cooling arrangements with backups and containment structures that confine radioactive material. Together, they address different parts of preventing and controlling an incident.

Redundancy means providing additional systems or components to perform an important function if one becomes unavailable. Diversity uses different approaches to a safety function. Combining such measures helps address the possibility that a single fault could affect more than one protective arrangement.

The changing legal framework

The Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Act, 2025 received presidential assent on 20 December 2025. It provides for statutory recognition of AERB and sets out its safety functions. Statutory recognition means that the institution’s position and powers are specified in legislation.

The Act provides a framework for government licensing and AERB safety authorisation, including participation by eligible companies. Its provisions cover safety standards, radiation protection, waste management, trained personnel and emergency preparedness. These subjects connect the expansion of nuclear activity with the institutions and technical requirements responsible for its safety.

Conclusion

Nuclear safety regulation combines technical review with permissions for defined activities and continuing oversight. AERB’s role extends across a facility’s life, linking its design, construction, testing and operation with the protection of people and the environment.