Why domestic reserves are not enough to fuel India's nuclear ambitions, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• India recently secured a long-term uranium supply deal with Australia, following similar agreements with Canada and Kazakhstan.
• The country aims to expand its civil nuclear power capacity to 100 gigawatt-electric (GWe) by 2047.
• Domestic uranium reserves currently meet the fuel requirements for only 2.4 GWe out of India's total 8.7 GWe capacity.
• The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) granted India a waiver on September 6, 2008, enabling uranium imports for civil reactors.
• India's civil nuclear sector was opened to greater private participation last year to achieve its ambitious capacity targets.

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Detailed Insights:

• The recent deal is the first major outcome of the India-Australia Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 2014 and entered into force in 2015.
• India's strategy involves diversifying and securing fuel supplies for its planned nuclear power expansion.
• Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) is the state-owned entity responsible for mining and processing domestic uranium ore.
• India's indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) use natural uranium, while Light Water Reactors (LWRs) require entirely imported enriched uranium.
• A committee constituted by the Ministry of Power estimated an annual need for an additional 8,629 tonnes of natural uranium and 1,945 tonnes of enriched uranium by 2047.
• The NSG waiver made India the only non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to have such trading privileges.
• Between 2008-09 and 2024-25, India imported over 18,842 metric tonnes of uranium for International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguarded reactors.
• Current uranium imports are primarily from Russia and Uzbekistan, with future supplies expected from Canada and Kazakhstan.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Yellowcake: A concentrated form of uranium oxide, an intermediate product in uranium processing.
• Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG): A group of nuclear-supplier countries that aims to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling nuclear exports.
• Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT): An international treaty aimed at preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and promoting peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
• International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): An international organization promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy and verifying safeguards against its misuse.