UCIL Plans to Double Uranium Production by 2036 Through Jadugora and Narwapahar Expansion, Greenfield Mines and 9 Lakh TPA Mosabani Recovery Plant
Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) plans to double its uranium production by 2036. UCIL Chairman-cum-Managing Director K Anand Rao announced the plan at a media interaction in Jadugora, Jharkhand. The plan covers expansion of existing projects and some greenfield projects. It is subject to statutory and regulatory clearances being obtained in time. UCIL did not disclose its current production figure, citing strategic reasons.
UCIL operates eight projects. Seven are in Jharkhand's Singhbhum region and one is in Andhra Pradesh. Seven are underground mines and one is the open-pit mine at Banduhurang in East Singhbhum. The company plans to expand the Jadugora and Narwapahar mines. It also plans greenfield projects in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
UCIL also plans the Mosabani Uranium Recovery Plant (MURP) in Singhbhum. It will recover uranium-bearing material from Hindustan Copper Limited's Mosabani tailings by gravity separation, at 9 lakh tonnes per annum. Rao said about 10 per cent of the waste will be brought to the UCIL plant for processing. UCIL expects no mining cost for this feed.
Rao said the expansion and greenfield projects will take three to six years to start. Clearances are required from 10 different bodies, including the Ministry of Environment and Forest. UCIL links the plan to the 100 GW nuclear power capacity target for 2047, against about 9 GW today. The source states no investment figures, mine-wise capacities or contractors.
