Strategic Uranium reserve
The Government is creating a "Uranium Reserve" by importing uranium to ensure our atomic power reactors under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards do not face shortage of the nuclear fuel.
Twenty one (21) nuclear power reactors are under operation in the country with an installed generating capacity of 5780 MWe. Thirteen (13) reactors with a total installed capacity of 3380 MW are under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and are eligible for imported fuel. To meet requirement of fuel for reactors under IAEA safeguards, agreements for import of uranium have been signed with M/s Navoi Mining & Metallurgical Combinat State Company (NMMC), Uzbekistan; M/s JSC TVEL Corporation, Russia; M/s CAMECO, Canada and M/s NAC Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan.
The latest agreement for import of Uranium from M/s Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan covers an import of 5000 MT of Uranium Ore Concentrate over a period of 5 years. Eight (8) reactors with a total installed capacity of 2400 MW are fuelled by indigenous fuel. The Government have made efforts to augment indigenous uranium supply by opening of new mines and processing facilities thus narrowing down the demand-supply gap for reactors using indigenous fuel. As a result, there has been a progressive improvement in capacity utilisation of nuclear power plants.
The Government is planning to set up new nuclear fuel complex in the country.
The Hyderabad-based Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) is setting up a facility at Kota, Rajasthan to manufacture fuel assemblies required for four numbers of 700 MWe Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), two each at Kakrapar (Gujarat) and Kota (Rajasthan), being constructed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
This information was given by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in reply to unstarred question in Lok Sabha today.
****
NK/KM