Lok Sabha Question No. 3525 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-08-08
Subject: Import of Uranium
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: PR. SENTHILNATHAN, KRISHNAN NARAYANASAMY RAMACHANDRAN, R.K. BHARATHI MOHAN

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.3525

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2018

## IMPORT OF URANIUM

3525.    SHRI PR. SENTHILNATHAN:

SHRI K.N. RAMACHANDRAN:

SHRI BHARATHI MOHAN R.K.:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has signed any MoU with foreign countries for the import of Uranium and other Nuclear Fuel;
- (b) if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  the  quantity  of  uranium  imported  from  various countries and the expenditure incurred thereon during each of the last three years and the current year;
- (c) whether  there  is  shortage  of  fuel  for  Atomic/Nuclear  Power  plants  in  the country;
- (d) if so, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the time by which the country is likely to become self-dependent in the field of atomic/Nuclear fuel?

## ANSWER

THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  PERSONNEL,  PUBLIC  GRIEVANCES  AND PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR. JITENDRA SINGH)

- (a) Yes Sir.
- (b) At present, Directorate of Purchase and Stores (DPS), a constituent unit of the Department of Atomic Energy has signed contracts with firms from Kazakhstan and Canada for supply of Natural Uranium Ore concentrate. Apart from these ongoing contracts, DPS completed the execution of contracts with firms from France  and  Kazakhstan  for  supply  of  Natural  Uranium  Ore  concentrate  and with  firms  from  Russia  for  supply  of  Natural  Uranium  di  Oxide  pellets  and enriched Uranium di Oxide pellets.

The details of imported uranium and expenditure incurred thereon during the last three years and the current year is as under:-

|   Sl. No. | Agency                               | Description                              | Year    |   Quantity received in MTU | Expenditure incurred (in crore)   |
|-----------|--------------------------------------|------------------------------------------|---------|----------------------------|-----------------------------------|
|         1 | M/S JSC NAC, Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan | Uranium Ore Concentrate                  | 2016-17 |                   1923.66  | 893.76                            |
|         1 | M/S JSC NAC, Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan | Uranium Ore Concentrate                  | 2017-18 |                   1490     | 592.44                            |
|         1 | M/S JSC NAC, Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan | Uranium Ore Concentrate                  | 2018-19 |                    392.753 | 0.17 *                            |
|         2 | M/S CAMECO Inc., Canada              | Uranium Ore Concentrate                  | 2015-16 |                    250.743 | 158.28                            |
|         2 | M/S CAMECO Inc., Canada              | Uranium Ore Concentrate                  | 2016-17 |                   1233.68  | 534.51                            |
|         2 | M/S CAMECO Inc., Canada              | Uranium Ore Concentrate                  | 2017-18 |                    989.452 | 373.83                            |
|         3 | M/s JSC TVEL, Russia                 | Enriched Uranium Pellets                 | 2015-16 |                     42.15  | 303.65                            |
|         3 | M/s JSC TVEL, Russia                 | Fuel Pellets of Natural Uranium Di-oxide | 2015-16 |                    303.787 | 565.13                            |
|         3 | M/s JSC TVEL, Russia                 | Fuel Pellets of Natural Uranium Di-oxide | 2016-17 |                    187.334 | 395.32                            |

*  1.  No  payment  has  been  made  as  bills  have  not  been  received  for  the materials
2. Clearance and container transportation charges  Rs.17,00,000/-.
- (c)      No, Sir. The Government has provided fuel from both indigenous and imported sources in required quantities for operation of nuclear power reactors at their rated power.
- (d) Does not arise in view of (c) above.
- (e)     As per the vision plan prepared, in order to fulfil the requirement of Uranium to fuel  nuclear  power  plants,  Department  of  Atomic  Energy  will  achieve  nearly ten-fold  rise  in  uranium  production  in  next  15  years  (by  2031-2032).  The uranium mining projects have been planned in three phases. On completion of the  projects  in  first  phase,  it  is  expected  to  produce  3.5  times  of  existing uranium production by the 12 th year. On completion of the projects in second phase,  uranium  production  is  expected  to  achieve  seven  times  of  existing production. With the completion of phase three projects uranium production of the country is expected to record ten-fold increase by 2031-32.

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