New Uranium Mining Projects - India
General, Import
India close to importing uranium from Uzbekistan
India is very close to importing uranium from Uzbekistan and an agreement in this regard is nearing completion, official sources said today. The issue came up for discussion during talks here between visiting External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov, the sources said. The agreement will not be a civil nuclear deal but a contract like the one with Kazakhstan, under which India will import a little over 2,000 tonnes of uranium by 2014, they said. (Economic Times Sep. 14, 2013)
India has to purchase nuclear reactors from Russia and other foreign countries in order to get uranium from these countries
In an informal chat with reporters, Shekar Basu, director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), when queried why India is using nuclear reactors from Russia and other foreign countries said: "There is shortage of uranium in India and the country in order to buy uranium has to purchase nuclear reactors from these countries as it gives business to their domestic firms." (Times of India Jun 2, 2013)
India to explore possibility of getting uranium from Uzbekistan
Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari said India would explore the possibility of getting uranium supplies from Uzbekistan, which has rich reserves of the heavy metal. (The Hindu May 22, 2013)
India considers setting up new company to acquire foreign uranium mines
India may soon set up a new company to acquire uranium mines in foreign countries to ensure fuel supplies to its burgeoning nuclear power programme. The Atomic Energy Commission has recommended setting up of a joint venture company between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) to explore the possibility of acquiring uranium assets abroad, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy informed the Parliament. (PTI Aug. 23, 2012)
India working out mechanisms with South Africa to access its uranium
> View here
India shows interest in stakes in Areva's African uranium mines
French energy major Areva, which is supplying nuclear fuel for Indian reactors, has offered partnership stakes to the state-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) in its uranium producing mines abroad. "We have offered to NPCIL and the Atomic Energy Commission to invest with us in our new and existing uranium mining projects," chairman and managing director, Areva India, Arthur de Montalembert told HT in an exclusive chat. "NPCIL has shown interest and talks are progressing for a stake in some uranium mines in Africa." (Hindustan Times July 7, 2011)
India and Kazakhstan sign nuclear agreement, including joint uranium mining
> View here
India seeking interest in Russia's proposed Elkon uranium mine
> View here
India's Nuclear Power Corporation and Uranium Corporation to form joint venture to acquire uranium mines abroad
Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) would soon sign an agreement with Uranium Corporation of India (UCI), both state-run companies, for a joint venture to acquire mining assets abroad to procure uranium. They're looking at mining assets in Nigeria [?!], Namibia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. The JV would also focus on the procurement of uranium from these assets, as well as other sources.
NPC's chairman and managing director, S K Jain, told Business Standard; "UCI has domain knowledge in uranium mining, while NPC has the necessary funds for the proposed investments. NPC will have a majority stake of 74 per cent, while 26 per cent would be held by UCI in the proposed JV. The JV would have a working capital of Rs 15 billion [US$ 336 million] and it expects to invest Rs 50 billion [US$ 1.12 billion] over the next five years in the acquisition of mining assets in the four shortlisted countries." (Business Standard Oct. 6, 2010)
Imminent Canada-India nuclear pact heightens tensions
> See here
India to mine uranium in Mongolia
> See here
India's need for uranium to grow 10-fold by 2020
India's need for uranium will increase 10-fold by 2020 as Asia's third-largest energy consumer boosts nuclear power generation, the country's monopoly atomic generator forecast today. India will need about 8,000 tons of uranium annually, said Jagdeep Ghai, finance director at state-owned Nuclear Power Corp. of India. The nation has signed civil nuclear agreements with six countries, including Canada, Kazakhstan and Namibia, to secure stakes in overseas uranium mines, Ghai said. (Bloomberg Dec. 21, 2009)
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India looking to import uranium from Uzbekistan - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: India is in talks with Uzbekistan for procuring uranium for growing requirement of fuel for its nuclear plants, expected to increase in number in coming years.
A delegation of department of atomic energy (DAE) officials travelled to Uzbekistan last week to discuss the modalities of a possible contract, sources told PTI here.
They said a contract for procurement of uranium could materialise in the near future.
India is looking at importing about 2,000 tonnes of uranium by 2014 from Uzbekistan, which has 1,85,800 tonnes of proven uranium deposits.
The visit by the DAE team took place against the backdrop of talks between external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov last month in Tashkent. During the talks, the issue of uranium import to India was discussed.
India already has a contract for uranium import from another Central Asian nation Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Apart from these countries, Kyrgyzstan also has rich uranium deposits.
DAE officials, however, said that they were looking for uranium across the world to meet the growing demand for the country's nuclear power plants.
"It is not that we are focusing on Central Asia only, but the region happens to have proven reserves of uranium. We will try to procure uranium from wherever possible," said a senior DAE official.
"We are also looking at Niger and Namibia to get our supply of uranium," the official added.
Both these countries have rich deposits of uranium. In 2009, India also signed a civil nuclear cooperation with Namibia.
India currently has 19 active nuclear reactors that produce 4,780 MW of electricity.
In the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017), Nuclear Power Corporation India Ltd (NPCIL) plans to add 16 more reactors and increase power generation to 16,000 MW and further take it up to 20,000 MW by 2022.
In his speech at the 57th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna last month, DAE secretary Ratan Kumar Sinha said India had "limited resources" from which it is trying to "extract maximum energy".
Sinha had said with the finding of new reserves of uranium, the total reserves capacity had shot up by five per cent. He was referring to the Tummalapalle mines in YSR district in Andhra Pradesh.
Apart from Andhra Pradesh, other active uranium mines are in Jaduguda in Jharkhand. These reserves, however, are not enough to meet the increasing fuel demand.
India has already signed a civil nuclear agreement with Mongolia in 2010 while it has a similar agreement in place with Kazakhstan to procures uranium. Kazakhstan has 15 per cent of uranium reserves of the world.
India currently gets uranium from Russia, France and Kazakhstan.
After the Indo-US nuclear deal in 2009, the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has been open to sell uranium to India. Countries like Canada and Australia, which were earlier stern over the issue, have expressed willingness to export uranium to India, albeit under the IAEA safeguards.
General, Import
India close to importing uranium from Uzbekistan
India is very close to importing uranium from Uzbekistan and an agreement in this regard is nearing completion, official sources said today. The issue came up for discussion during talks here between visiting External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov, the sources said. The agreement will not be a civil nuclear deal but a contract like the one with Kazakhstan, under which India will import a little over 2,000 tonnes of uranium by 2014, they said. (Economic Times Sep. 14, 2013)
India has to purchase nuclear reactors from Russia and other foreign countries in order to get uranium from these countries
In an informal chat with reporters, Shekar Basu, director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), when queried why India is using nuclear reactors from Russia and other foreign countries said: "There is shortage of uranium in India and the country in order to buy uranium has to purchase nuclear reactors from these countries as it gives business to their domestic firms." (Times of India Jun 2, 2013)
India to explore possibility of getting uranium from Uzbekistan
Vice-President M. Hamid Ansari said India would explore the possibility of getting uranium supplies from Uzbekistan, which has rich reserves of the heavy metal. (The Hindu May 22, 2013)
India considers setting up new company to acquire foreign uranium mines
India may soon set up a new company to acquire uranium mines in foreign countries to ensure fuel supplies to its burgeoning nuclear power programme. The Atomic Energy Commission has recommended setting up of a joint venture company between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) to explore the possibility of acquiring uranium assets abroad, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy informed the Parliament. (PTI Aug. 23, 2012)
India working out mechanisms with South Africa to access its uranium
> View here
India shows interest in stakes in Areva's African uranium mines
French energy major Areva, which is supplying nuclear fuel for Indian reactors, has offered partnership stakes to the state-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) in its uranium producing mines abroad. "We have offered to NPCIL and the Atomic Energy Commission to invest with us in our new and existing uranium mining projects," chairman and managing director, Areva India, Arthur de Montalembert told HT in an exclusive chat. "NPCIL has shown interest and talks are progressing for a stake in some uranium mines in Africa." (Hindustan Times July 7, 2011)
India and Kazakhstan sign nuclear agreement, including joint uranium mining
> View here
India seeking interest in Russia's proposed Elkon uranium mine
> View here
India's Nuclear Power Corporation and Uranium Corporation to form joint venture to acquire uranium mines abroad
Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) would soon sign an agreement with Uranium Corporation of India (UCI), both state-run companies, for a joint venture to acquire mining assets abroad to procure uranium. They're looking at mining assets in Nigeria [?!], Namibia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan. The JV would also focus on the procurement of uranium from these assets, as well as other sources.
NPC's chairman and managing director, S K Jain, told Business Standard; "UCI has domain knowledge in uranium mining, while NPC has the necessary funds for the proposed investments. NPC will have a majority stake of 74 per cent, while 26 per cent would be held by UCI in the proposed JV. The JV would have a working capital of Rs 15 billion [US$ 336 million] and it expects to invest Rs 50 billion [US$ 1.12 billion] over the next five years in the acquisition of mining assets in the four shortlisted countries." (Business Standard Oct. 6, 2010)
Imminent Canada-India nuclear pact heightens tensions
> See here
India to mine uranium in Mongolia
> See here
India's need for uranium to grow 10-fold by 2020
India's need for uranium will increase 10-fold by 2020 as Asia's third-largest energy consumer boosts nuclear power generation, the country's monopoly atomic generator forecast today. India will need about 8,000 tons of uranium annually, said Jagdeep Ghai, finance director at state-owned Nuclear Power Corp. of India. The nation has signed civil nuclear agreements with six countries, including Canada, Kazakhstan and Namibia, to secure stakes in overseas uranium mines, Ghai said. (Bloomberg Dec. 21, 2009)
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India looking to import uranium from Uzbekistan - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: India is in talks with Uzbekistan for procuring uranium for growing requirement of fuel for its nuclear plants, expected to increase in number in coming years.
A delegation of department of atomic energy (DAE) officials travelled to Uzbekistan last week to discuss the modalities of a possible contract, sources told PTI here.
They said a contract for procurement of uranium could materialise in the near future.
India is looking at importing about 2,000 tonnes of uranium by 2014 from Uzbekistan, which has 1,85,800 tonnes of proven uranium deposits.
The visit by the DAE team took place against the backdrop of talks between external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and his Uzbek counterpart Abdulaziz Kamilov last month in Tashkent. During the talks, the issue of uranium import to India was discussed.
India already has a contract for uranium import from another Central Asian nation Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Apart from these countries, Kyrgyzstan also has rich uranium deposits.
DAE officials, however, said that they were looking for uranium across the world to meet the growing demand for the country's nuclear power plants.
"It is not that we are focusing on Central Asia only, but the region happens to have proven reserves of uranium. We will try to procure uranium from wherever possible," said a senior DAE official.
"We are also looking at Niger and Namibia to get our supply of uranium," the official added.
Both these countries have rich deposits of uranium. In 2009, India also signed a civil nuclear cooperation with Namibia.
India currently has 19 active nuclear reactors that produce 4,780 MW of electricity.
In the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017), Nuclear Power Corporation India Ltd (NPCIL) plans to add 16 more reactors and increase power generation to 16,000 MW and further take it up to 20,000 MW by 2022.
In his speech at the 57th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna last month, DAE secretary Ratan Kumar Sinha said India had "limited resources" from which it is trying to "extract maximum energy".
Sinha had said with the finding of new reserves of uranium, the total reserves capacity had shot up by five per cent. He was referring to the Tummalapalle mines in YSR district in Andhra Pradesh.
Apart from Andhra Pradesh, other active uranium mines are in Jaduguda in Jharkhand. These reserves, however, are not enough to meet the increasing fuel demand.
India has already signed a civil nuclear agreement with Mongolia in 2010 while it has a similar agreement in place with Kazakhstan to procures uranium. Kazakhstan has 15 per cent of uranium reserves of the world.
India currently gets uranium from Russia, France and Kazakhstan.
After the Indo-US nuclear deal in 2009, the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) has been open to sell uranium to India. Countries like Canada and Australia, which were earlier stern over the issue, have expressed willingness to export uranium to India, albeit under the IAEA safeguards.
