India continues with major nuclear energy development programme
India currently had ten nuclear reactors under construction and had authorised the construction of another ten. The country had also imported 7 546 t of natural uranium ore concentrate and 56.78 t of enriched uranium fuel pellets over the past three years, complementing the country's own uranium production. These figures were released by Indian Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh, in written answers to questions in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.
Currently, the country had 23 operating nuclear reactors (known in the industry as ‘units’). The latest of these was Kakrapar unit 3, which had been connected to the electricity grid in January last year. India operated a number of different designs of nuclear reactors: pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), boiling water reactors (BWRs) and VVERs (the Russian version of the pressurised water reactor). The PHWRs were largely of indigenous design, although the first examples were designed and built with Canadian assistance.
Of the new reactors under construction, Kakrapar unit 4 was expected to complete during this year; Rajasthan units 7 and 8, and Kudankulam 3 and 4 during next year; Kudankulam 5 and 6 in 2027; and Gorakhpur 1 and 2 in 2028. The tenth reactor being built was the prototype fast breeder reactor at Kalpakkam, which was also due for completion this year.
In terms of uranium imports, these were sourced from Canada, France, Kazakhstan and Russia. These were used for fuel for India’s reactors that operated under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Those reactors not under IAEA safeguards were fuelled using uranium mined domestically. The main sources of imports were Kazakhstan (4 557.67 t over the past three years) and Canada (2 988.37 t, over the same period).
All 56.78 t of enriched uranium fuel pellets were imported from Russia. These pellets were used to fuel the two BWRs located at Tarapur, and were supplied within the framework of the 2008 cooperation agreement between India and Russia.
Domestic uranium production was carried out by the Uranium Corporation of India. The country had eight operating uranium mines (seven in the state of Jharkhand and one in Andhra Pradesh state). These had produced a total of 2 263 852 t of U3O8 (popularly called yellowcake). Of this total, 671 560 t had come from the Andhra Pradesh mine. Other uranium resources, in these and other states, had been identified, which equivalated to 369 042 t of U3O8.
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