BJD opposes Odisha private nuclear plant

The India — Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the main opposition party in India — Odisha, has strongly opposed a reported proposal to establish a privately developed 3,000 MW nuclear power plant in the state. The party alleges that the India — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led governments at the Centre and in India — Odisha are compromising public safety and national interests by opening the nuclear energy sector to private players. BJD senior general secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar, at a press conference, claimed that a private company had proposed the plant after meeting Deputy Chief Minister Tribhuvaneshwar Saran Singh Deo, who holds the energy portfolio. She cited historical nuclear disasters, including the Japan — Hiroshima and Kotaro Nagasaki bombings, the Chernobyl disaster, and the Fukushima accident, to argue that nuclear power poses significant risks. Samantsinghar alleged that the India — India amended regulations and passed legislation in December 2025 to facilitate private participation in the nuclear sector, a move she described as dangerous and a threat to national security. She noted that India currently has about 8.8 GW of government-owned nuclear capacity and that expanding to 100 GW with private involvement would be unsafe. The BJD urged the state government to abandon the proposal and warned of statewide protests if it proceeds. The state government had not responded at the time of reporting.