Context
A Parliamentary Committee has recommended a policy framework allowing Mine Developer-cum-Operators (MDOs) to participate in domestic uranium mining under strict Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) oversight. The proposal comes as India seeks to expand its civil nuclear power capacity from about 8.7 GWe to 100 GWe by 2047.
Explanation
- Uranium is an atomic mineral and an important fuel for nuclear power generation; U-235 is its naturally occurring fissile isotope.
- Uranium Corporation of India Ltd. (UCIL), under the DAE, has the mandate to mine and process uranium ore in India.
- India’s indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) use natural uranium as fuel and heavy water (D₂O) as moderator and coolant.
- Light Water Reactors (LWRs) generally require enriched uranium; India imports such fuel for reactors including Kudankulam and Tarapur units.
- Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) operates most commercial nuclear power reactors in India.
- Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) undertakes exploration and assessment of uranium and other atomic-mineral resources.
- India supplements domestic uranium production through imports, including supplies from Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Canada.
- An MDO develops and operates a mine on behalf of the mine-lease holder rather than owning the mineral resource itself.
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