Wednesday, Apr 11, 2007
`India has enough indigenous uranium to last 50 years' http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/04/11/stories/2007041102980300.htm
Our Bureau
Projects can go on even without supplies from abroad: NPCL
Chennai April 10 Nuclear Power Corporation of India, which plans to put up eight units of 700 MW `pressurised heavy water reactors' (PHWR), is not particularly worried about uranium supplies, whether or not the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) of 40-odd nations agrees to give the raw material. There is enough indigenous uranium to support a 10,000-MW PHWR programme for 50 years, Mr S.K. Jain, Chairman and Managing Director, NPCIL, told journalists here today.
New discoveries
He said that India's uranium production would double this year, thanks to new mines getting opened by the public sector Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. No production figures are available as the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, explicitly prohibits Uranium Corporation from making the details public, but it was said at the press conference that India had proven reserves of about 60,000 tonnes.
Two other experts from the nuclear field, Dr Baldev Raj, Director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, and Dr Srikumar Banerjee, Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and Member, Atomic Energy Commission, said at the press conference that with improving mining technology, there was a good chance of discovery of new uranium deposits.
"It is quite expected that due to the geological formation of India, new discoveries (of uranium deposits) would be made, but they might be deep-seated," Dr Banerjee said.
"There are enough uranium reserves. The question is how soon we can start mining," Mr Jain said, alluding to the environment-related issues that crop up when a new mine is opened.
New projects
Last year's annual report of Uranium Corporation of India mentions six new mining projects - three in Jharkhand, two in Andhra Pradesh and one in Meghalaya - apart from exploration work in Karnataka and Rajasthan. Answering a question, Mr Jain said while India had enough indigenous raw material for a 10,000-MW of PHWR-based nuclear power, any help from abroad was welcome.
Dr Banerjee foresaw a situation when India might itself join the elite `Nuclear Suppliers Group', because of its expertise in PHWR and fast breeder reactor technologies. A strong domestic nuclear base would help to secure export orders. He drew a parallel with France, a leading member of the NSG, which does not have any uranium of its own.
Projects under way
India has today 16 nuclear reactors (totalling close to 4,000 MW), of which 14 are of PHWR-type. The other two (at Tarapur) are of `boiling water' type, which was originally built to process US-supplied uranium.
In addition, two light water reactors of 1,000 MW capacity each are coming up at Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu, technology and equipment for which are coming from Russia. The first of these plants is expected to start producing electricity next year. Also, a 500 MW `prototype fast breeder reactor' is also under construction at Kalpakkam, near Chennai.
On the anvil are three more fast breeder reactors of 500 MW each (two at Kalpakkam and the third at a site to be selected) and eight PHWRs of 700 MW capacity each.
US nuclear deal
All this will come up irrespective of any technological or fuel-supply-related assistance arising out of the nuclear deal with the US. Negotiations for the bilateral deal are under way, and if they bear fruit, India will get more uranium to set up more nuclear projects.
(The framework for the deal is what has been agreed upon, based on which the US government has got a law passed by its Congress that basically fixes the terms of negotiations for the final deal with India.
Under the framework, India will put all its future civilian nuclear projects under international safeguards, which means international inspectors will check against any Defence-related work going on there, but the decision to term a project `civilian' or not is India's.)
Answering a question, Mr Jain said he could not say whether the planned eight PHWRs would be called `civilian' or not.
He said that while there was sufficient indigenous uranium to support 10,000 MW (by PHWR route), more nuclear projects are desirable because of the low cost of electricity generated. NPCIL has brought down its average tariff to Rs 2.30 per unit last year (from Rs 2.48 paise earlier), but is targeting Rs 2 per unit.
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