Lok Sabha Question No. 3378 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-03-22
Subject: Availability of Uranium
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: HARI NARAYAN RAJBHAR, RAVNEET SINGH, BALASUBRAMANIAM SENGUTTUVAN, VASANTHI M.

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No.3378 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.03.2017

## AVAILABILITY OF URANIUM

3378. SHRI HARI NARAYAN RAJBHAR, SHRI RAVNEET SINGH, SHRI B. SENGUTTUVAN SMT. VASANTHI  M.

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the current annual production of Uranium in the country is enough to meet  the  annual  fuel  requirement  of  all  the  operational  Uranium  -  based Nuclear Power Plants and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) if not, the steps taken/being taken by the Government to explore alternative fuel/technologies/imported fuel for the said purpose;
- (c) the  details  of  uranium  reserves  and  extraction  potential  in  the  country, State/UT-wise along with the details of the uranium extracted during each of the last three years, State/UT-wise;
- (d) the  details  of  domestic  production  and  import  of  other  nuclear  minerals including Thorium and Rare Earth Minerals during the said period along with the  steps  taken  by  the  Government  to  make  the  country  self-reliant  in aforementioned minerals; and
- (e) whether the country is importing Uranium from other foreign countries and if so, the details thereof including the quantity of imported Uranium during the above period, country-wise?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Yes,  Sir.  Out  of  22  Nuclear  reactors,  presently  in  operation  8  reactors  with aggregate capacity of 2400 MW are fuelled by indigenous uranium.     These reactors are now being operated close to their rated capacity. 14 reactors with an  aggregate  capacity  of  4380  MW  are  under  IAEA  Safeguards  and  use imported uranium.

- (b) Does not arise.
- (c) Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD), a constituent unit of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), which has a mandate to identify and evaluate mineral resources of uranium, has so far established 2,48,786 tonne (t) in-situ U3O8  (2,10,971t  U)  as  on  February,  2017.    Statewise  details  of  the  uranium  resource  are  given  below  in  different  states  as under :

| State            | Uranium reserves   | Uranium reserves   |
|------------------|--------------------|--------------------|
|                  | U 3 O 8 (t)        | U (t)              |
| Andhra Pradesh   | 1,22,691           | 1,04,042           |
| Telangana        | 18,550             | 15,731             |
| Jharkhand        | 64,392             | 54,604             |
| Meghalaya        | 23,040             | 19,538             |
| Rajasthan        | 9,421              | 7,989              |
| Karnataka        | 4,682              | 3,970              |
| Chhattisgarh     | 3,986              | 3,380              |
| Uttar Pradesh    | 785                | 666                |
| Uttarakhand      | 100                | 85                 |
| Himachal Pradesh | 784                | 665                |
| Maharashtra      | 355                | 301                |
| Total            | 2,48,786           | 2,10,971           |

The uranium deposits established by AMD are mined by Uranium Corporation of  India  Limited  (UCIL),  a  Public  Sector  Undertaking  (PSU)  of  Department of Atomic energy(DAE). The deposits at Jaduguda, Narwapahar, Bagjata, Bhatin, Banduhurang,  Turamdih  and  Mohuldih  in  Jharkhand  and  Tummalapalle  in Andhra Pradesh are currently under commercial exploitation by UCIL.   It is not in the public interest to disclose the indigenous uranium extraction details.

- (d) The  domestic  production  of  nuclear  minerals  including  Thorium  and  Rare Earth  Minerals during 2016-17 (till February 2017) is as follows:
- (e) Yes Sir. The country-wise details of imports of uranium are tabulated below:

| Mineral                                   |   Production in tonnes |
|-------------------------------------------|------------------------|
| Nuclear grade Ammonium Di-uranate (NGADU) |                 22.691 |
| Thorium Nitrate (Commercial grade)        |                 74     |
| Lanthanum Carbonate (REO)                 |                 25.051 |
| Cerium Carbonate (REO)                    |                  8.899 |
| Neodymium-Praseodymium Oxalte (REO)       |                  0.297 |
| Samarium Oxalate (REO)                    |                  1.303 |

| Year    | M/s. PJSC TVEL Corporation, Russia   | M/s. JSC NAC Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan   | M/s. CAMECO, Canada   |
|---------|--------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|-----------------------|
| Year    | Quantity (MT)                        | Quantity (MT)                          | Quantity (MT)         |
| 2013-14 | 296.31 *                             | 460 #                                  | -                     |
| 2014-15 | 296.54 *                             | 283.4 #                                | -                     |
| 2015-16 | 303.78 *                             | Nil                                    | 250.74 #              |
| 2015-16 | 42.15 $                              | Nil                                    | 250.74 #              |

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