(a) whether the Government has entered into any agreements with foreign countries for supply of nuclear fuel/uranium;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the names of the countries which are presently supplying uranium;
(c) whether adequate quantity of fuel is available to run nuclear power plants in the country and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) the steps taken / being taken by the Government to meet the shortage of nuclear fuel?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR.JITENDRA SINGH):
(a) Yes, Sir.
(b) Consequent upon India signing the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with United States of America on 10.10.2008, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has been importing Uranium ore to meet fuel requirements of Nuclear Reactors under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards. As part of this activity, Contractual Agreements were entered into with M/s. AREVA, France (during 2008), M/s. JSC TVEL Corporation, Russia (during 2009), M/s.NAC Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan (during 2009) and M/s. Navoi Mining & Metallurgical Combinat State Company (NMMC), Uzbekistan (during 2013). As a result of import of Uranium, IAEA safeguarded nuclear reactors are running at optimum level.
(c) & (d) No, Sir. The country has 21 nuclear power reactors under operation with an installed generating capacity of 5780 MWe. Thirteen (13) reactors with a total installed capacity of 3380 MW viz., TAPS-1&2 located at Tarapur, Maharashtra; RAPS-2 to 6 located at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan; KAPS-1&2 located at Kakrapar, Gujarat; NAPS-1&2 located at Narora, Uttar Pradesh; and KKNPP–1 located at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu are under IAEA safeguards and are eligible for imported fuel. These reactors are operating at rated power. However, one reactor, RAPS-1 located at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan (100 MW) is under extended shutdown for techno-economic assessment.
Eight (8) reactors with a total installed capacity of 2400 MW viz., TAPS-3&4 at Tarapur, Maharashtra; MAPS-1&2 near Chennai; and KGS-1 to 4 at Kaiga, Karnataka are fuelled by indigenous fuel. They are presently operated close to their rated power, matching availability of fuel.
The Government had made efforts to augment indigenous uranium supply by opening of new mines and processing facilities thus narrowing down the demand-supply gap. As a result, there has been a progressive improvement in capacity utilisation. So far, in-situ reserves of 2,11,473 tonne of U3O8 equivalent to 1,79,329 tonne of Uranium have been established by Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) in various States of India.