After a record production this year, India is working on creating a ‘strategic uranium reserve.
The reserve pool could be between 5000 MT to 15,000 MT which can last for 510 years.
Why this reserve? Indian nuclear power plants are running below its full potential due to lack of sufficient fuel. So in recent times India signed agreements with Russia, Kazakistan, Australia, US etc for uranium fuel.
About Uranium fuel:
Nuclear reactors use uranium as fuel to generate electricity. In a nuclear reactor, the process of releasing energy is initiated by firing free neutrons on the Uranium nucleus.
The reserve pool could be between 5000 MT to 15,000 MT which can last for 510 years.
Why this reserve? Indian nuclear power plants are running below its full potential due to lack of sufficient fuel. So in recent times India signed agreements with Russia, Kazakistan, Australia, US etc for uranium fuel.
About Uranium fuel:
Nuclear reactors use uranium as fuel to generate electricity. In a nuclear reactor, the process of releasing energy is initiated by firing free neutrons on the Uranium nucleus.
Naturally mined uranium has three forms:
99.3% of U238
0.7% of U235
(Unstable form and decays to gain stability in which energy is released)
Less than 0.01% of U234.
The more abundant U238 can also be used as a fuel in breeder reactors. But the process is far more advanced and not economically feasible. So U235 is used as the main source of nuclear energy.
What is enrichment?
Uranium has to undergo a process so that it can become a suitable fuel. To start a nuclear reaction, the proportion of U235 should be higher than its natural level of 0.7%.
The process of increasing the proportion of fissionable uranium in the sample is called enrichment.
3.5% to 5% of U235 is ideal for this process.
India has a Nuclear Fuel Complex at Hyderabad where enrichment is done. Another Nuclear Fuel Complex is coming up in Kota in Rajasthan.
In which countries is uranium mined?
40% of the world’s total production came from Kazakhstan. 16% was from Canada while Australia accounts for 9%.
Is uranium freely traded in the international market?
No. There is an association of 46 countries called the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which follows certain guidelines for supplying uranium as well as the technology to make nuclear reactors.
These guidelines require importing countries to agree to certain safeguard conditions that allows inspection of nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Uranium & India:
India’s domestic uranium reserves are small and the country is dependent on uranium imports. Since 1990s, Russia is the major supplier of nuclear fuel to India. India has also uranium supply agreements with Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Argentina.
Large deposits of natural uranium have been found in the Tummalapalle belt in Andhra Pradesh in March 2011.
99.3% of U238
0.7% of U235
(Unstable form and decays to gain stability in which energy is released)
Less than 0.01% of U234.
The more abundant U238 can also be used as a fuel in breeder reactors. But the process is far more advanced and not economically feasible. So U235 is used as the main source of nuclear energy.
What is enrichment?
Uranium has to undergo a process so that it can become a suitable fuel. To start a nuclear reaction, the proportion of U235 should be higher than its natural level of 0.7%.
The process of increasing the proportion of fissionable uranium in the sample is called enrichment.
3.5% to 5% of U235 is ideal for this process.
India has a Nuclear Fuel Complex at Hyderabad where enrichment is done. Another Nuclear Fuel Complex is coming up in Kota in Rajasthan.
In which countries is uranium mined?
40% of the world’s total production came from Kazakhstan. 16% was from Canada while Australia accounts for 9%.
Is uranium freely traded in the international market?
No. There is an association of 46 countries called the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), which follows certain guidelines for supplying uranium as well as the technology to make nuclear reactors.
These guidelines require importing countries to agree to certain safeguard conditions that allows inspection of nuclear facilities by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Uranium & India:
India’s domestic uranium reserves are small and the country is dependent on uranium imports. Since 1990s, Russia is the major supplier of nuclear fuel to India. India has also uranium supply agreements with Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Argentina.
Large deposits of natural uranium have been found in the Tummalapalle belt in Andhra Pradesh in March 2011.
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