Senior Director for National Security at the Nuclear Energy Institute, Ted Jones urged private sector participation, citing U.S. success in nuclear innovation partnerships.
New Delhi: At the NXT Forum 2025, experts highlighted the growing collaboration between India and other nations in advancing cleaner and renewable energy, particularly in the nuclear sector. The panel discussion, titled Next in Nuclear, featured Ashwin Nandapurkar, CEO of India Ex-Fusion; Ted Jones, Senior Director for National Security at the Nuclear Energy Institute; and Chris Singh, Founder & Chairman of Holtec. The discussion, moderated by Suhan Mukerji, Founding Partner at PLR Chambers, explored nuclear energy’s future potential, efficiency improvements, and India’s role in the evolving global landscape.
Addressing the need for private sector participation in India’s nuclear industry, Ted Jones highlighted the U.S. model of private sector leadership in nuclear energy, emphasizing its success in fostering innovation through public-private partnerships. He suggested that India’s dynamic private sector has significant potential in nuclear energy, with U.S. companies eager to collaborate.
Ashwin Nandapurkar explained fusion energy as the process powering the sun, where atoms merge to release energy. He traced fusion research advancements, noting a major shift in 2018 with MIT’s private sector involvement and a breakthrough in energy parity, paving the way for future fusion power plants.
Chris Singh stressed that private enterprise drives the U.S. nuclear industry, ensuring efficiency, safety, and competitiveness. He reflected on Holtec’s rise as an industry leader through innovation and highlighted India’s opportunity to adopt a similar model to meet its 100GW nuclear energy goal by 2047.
The discussion emphasized India’s potential to integrate private participation, adopt advanced nuclear technologies, and emerge as a global leader in clean energy.