Independent owner's-side advice for industries weighing a captive small reactor
TL;DR Baseloadly advises Indian steel, cement, chemical and data-centre companies that are considering financing a small nuclear reactor for their own power. It works only for the buyer, covering site screening, a power-cost model, regulatory preparation and vendor selection. Boards pay fixed fees for a decision they can't make with in-house staff.
Until December 2025, only government companies and their joint ventures could run nuclear power in India. The SHANTI Act changed that, and private Indian companies can now build, operate and generate[1] while sensitive fuel-cycle work stays with the government[3]. Early in 2026, NPCIL asked Indian industries to finance and build a fleet of 220 MW Bharat Small Reactors[1].
A board looking at that invitation faces questions nobody on its staff has answered before. Is our site suitable? What will a unit of power cost us over 40 years, and what does the new liability regime mean for us? The operator cap for large plants is about ₹3,000 Cr, and the government can revise it[3]. Most industrial companies have energy teams that know coal and solar contracts, not nuclear siting or safety authorisation.
What it does, in regulatory terms: advisory only. Baseloadly holds no nuclear licence, handles no nuclear material and operates nothing. Any licence and safety authorisation sits with the client or its operator under the SHANTI Act and AERB oversight.
The seed proposed a company that deploys and runs small reactors for customers across their whole life, and I've reframed it. A startup can't hold an operator licence, fund a reactor or wait the years it takes to reach first power. What it can do is serve the companies that will.
Baseloadly sells three fixed-fee stages. First, a screening study - site land, water, population and grid fit, and a levelised power-cost range against the client's current power bill. Second, decision support, which covers the structure of the deal with NPCIL or a vendor, the liability and insurance picture, and a board paper. Third, owner's engineering through vendor and EPC selection and the regulatory filings. Clients can stop after any stage. Later, the same team can grow into lifecycle services once plants exist.
The buyer is the chief financial officer or head of energy at an energy-intensive company, and the board approves the spend. The target sectors are the ones nuclear sellers already name: metals, cement, chemicals and data centres[4]. I found no public price for SMR advisory in India. Price stage one as a fixed-fee study, in line with what large firms already pay engineering consultants for feasibility work on captive power plants (my assumption, to be tested).
The SHANTI Act received assent on 20 December 2025[1]. The Budget 2025–26 Nuclear Energy Mission sets aside ₹20,000 crore for small modular reactors and targets at least five indigenous designs running by 2033[2]. NPCIL's Bharat Small Reactor request for proposals closed on 31 March 2026 after an extension[1]. So companies are making their first decisions right now.
There is no public figure for SMR advisory spending in India, or for how many firms answered NPCIL's request. The firm signals are the policy ones - a 100 GW target by 2047 against 8.78 GW installed today[2], and a dedicated ₹20,000 crore mission for small reactors[2]. Treat those as context. Your real market is the few dozen large industrial power users who could finance a 220 MW unit (my estimate).
One US startup shows the end state: it builds, owns and runs 20 MWe reactors behind the customer's meter and sells the power under contract[4]. In India, NPCIL holds the reactor designs, and large engineering firms will bid for the build. I found no independent Indian adviser that works only for the industrial buyer, though my search was limited.
The gap is a buyer-side team with no vendor to sell.
| Difficulty | Moderate (44/100) |
| Starting capital | ₹60 L–1.2 Cr |
| Time to launch | 4–6 months |
The work is mostly people, and the hard part is credibility. A board will not take nuclear advice from a new firm unless its senior names have spent years in NPCIL, BARC, AERB or a major vendor. Rules under the new Act are still being written, so the advice will keep changing.
Baseloadly itself needs no nuclear licence, because it advises and operates nothing. Your clients carry the heavy licences.
Get a law firm's view on the new graded liability framework early, because clients will ask[1].
Building this outside India? The categories above usually have a local equivalent, so check with your own regulator.
Don't let AI make the call on site safety, liability or whether a client should invest. Those are judgements for qualified engineers, lawyers and the client's board.
Want to work out the AI layer for Baseloadly? Talk to Yash →
I like this for a retired NPCIL or AERB engineer paired with a project finance professional. If you're a generalist consultant without nuclear credentials then it's a poor fit, honestly. Before hiring, prove that two industrial companies will pay for a stage-one screening study within six months.
Plan for roughly ₹60 L–1.2 Cr, mostly for senior nuclear and finance staff before the first paid study comes in.
No. Advisory work needs only the usual company, GST and office registrations. The operator licence and AERB authorisation sit with your client.
Yes, many countries are looking at small reactors for industry. You'd need local nuclear credentials and a clear view of that country's licensing rules.
The free Baseloadly validation kit has the line-by-line capital breakdown, the effort scoring, the SHANTI Act and licensing checklist, a 14-day validation sprint with pass/fail targets, a 90-day launch plan, 10 interview questions for industrial power buyers, and 5 assumptions to test. Download the kit →
Thinking about building Baseloadly or something close to it? The make-or-break work is assembling a senior team boards will trust and winning the first paid screening study, and I'm happy to help you work out how. If you need a hand, you know where to find me. Talk to Yash →
For illustration only. Names are fictional and ideas hypothetical; sourced facts are real but may be out of date. Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and Yash Khatri is not personally liable for any use of it. Read the full disclaimer.