India to import natural uranium if supply is assured: Kakodkar
India to import natural uranium if supply is assured: Kakodkar
Aug 28, 2005 10:11:00
Lalitha Vaidyanathan
Mumbai, Aug 28 (PTI) Will India import natural uranium in the coming years? "Yes, provided a continuous life-time supply is assured by the suppliers", according to Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar.
"India is willing to buy natural uranium from other countries provided the life-time supply is guaranteed by the suppliers," Kakodkar told PTI.
Kakodkar made it clear that the current reserve of natural uranium available in the country could only support 10,000 MW programme.
"With availability of uranium from outside, one could also think of expanding Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor programme beyond 10,000 MW," he said.
"Natural uranium from outside will be much cheaper than what we spend to produce from Indian mines as the uranium content in ores from Indian mines is less than 0.1 per cent while in the mines abroad, it ranges from 1 to 15 per cent," he said.
Moreover, all these external supply will be under international safeguards and "we have absolutely no problem in it," Kakodkar said.
However, "we will continue to expand our indigenous mining and processing of natural uranium in Jharkhand and in other places for the PHWR reactors," he said.
For Tarapur Unit 1 and 2 located near here, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited imported low-enriched uranium from China in 2000 which lasted for five years while uranium imported from Russia in 2003 will last upto 2007, according to Chairman and Managing Director NPCIL S K Jain. PTI
Aug 28, 2005 10:11:00
Lalitha Vaidyanathan
Mumbai, Aug 28 (PTI) Will India import natural uranium in the coming years? "Yes, provided a continuous life-time supply is assured by the suppliers", according to Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar.
"India is willing to buy natural uranium from other countries provided the life-time supply is guaranteed by the suppliers," Kakodkar told PTI.
Kakodkar made it clear that the current reserve of natural uranium available in the country could only support 10,000 MW programme.
"With availability of uranium from outside, one could also think of expanding Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor programme beyond 10,000 MW," he said.
"Natural uranium from outside will be much cheaper than what we spend to produce from Indian mines as the uranium content in ores from Indian mines is less than 0.1 per cent while in the mines abroad, it ranges from 1 to 15 per cent," he said.
Moreover, all these external supply will be under international safeguards and "we have absolutely no problem in it," Kakodkar said.
However, "we will continue to expand our indigenous mining and processing of natural uranium in Jharkhand and in other places for the PHWR reactors," he said.
For Tarapur Unit 1 and 2 located near here, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited imported low-enriched uranium from China in 2000 which lasted for five years while uranium imported from Russia in 2003 will last upto 2007, according to Chairman and Managing Director NPCIL S K Jain. PTI
posted by Marcel at 4:11 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home