Nuclear Energy

The reality has been quite different. While total electricity generation capacity in the country
(from all sources) has seen a huge increase, from a meager 1800 MW in 1950 to 90,000 MW in
2000 cccxciv and 169749 MW as on Dec. 31, 2010 cccxcv , installed capacity of nuclear power generation
has grown much more slowly: it was about 600 MW in 1979-80, 950 MW in 1987 and 2720 MW in
2000. cccxcvi By December 2010, it had grown to 4560 MW cccxcvii, which was less than 3% of the total electricity
generation capacity in the country! The AEC had set a target of achieving 43,500 MW of total
nuclear power capacity by the year 2000; even by 2010, it had been able to achieve just 10.5% of
this target!
This utter failure has not been because of a paucity of resources. Practically all governments
have favored nuclear energy and the DAE’s budgets have always been high. The high allocations
for the DAE have come at the cost of promoting other, more sustainable, sources of power. In 2002-
03, for example, the DAE was allocated Rs. 33.5 billion, dwarfing in comparison the Rs. 4.7 billion
allocated to the Ministry of Nonconventional Energy Sources (MNES), which is in charge of
developing solar, wind, small hydro, and biomass based power. cccxcviii In 2009-10, DAE's budget
had ballooned to Rs. 60.3 billion, while the MNES had been allocated just Rs. 6 billion. cccxcix
Despite the smaller allocations, installed capacity of renewable energy sources was 16787 MW in
Dec. 2010, cd nearly four times that of nuclear energy (4560 MW), despite the fact that the
government expenditure on the latter has been many times that of renewable energy.
1. Uranium resources and mining
Part II: India’s Present Nuclear Facilities
The four most promising uranium mining areas in India are: the East Singhbhum district
(Jharkhand), West Khasi hills (Meghalaya), the Bhima Basin area (Gulbarga district of Karnataka),
and Nalgonda district (Andhra Pradesh). India's uranium resources are modest, with 54,000 tonnes
as reasonably assured resources and 23,500 tonnes as estimated additional resources in situ. cdi
Mining and processing of uranium is carried out by Uranium Corporation of India Ltd, a
subsidiary of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). Presently, it operates five underground
mines, all in Jharkhand, at Jaduguda and Bhatin (since 1967), Narwapahar (since 1995), Turamdih
(since 2002) and Bagjata (commissioned in Dec 2008). The last three are modern mechanised
mines. In December 2009, it also commissioned India's first open cast mine, at Banduhurang, also
in Jharkhand. UCIL has also begun construction of a seventh mine in the area, the Mohuldih
underground uranium mine located in the Saraikela-Kharswan district. The processing of the ore is
carried out at two mills, one located near Jaduguda, which processes 2090 tonnes of ore per day,
and another at Turamdih, with 3000 t/day capacity. cdii
UCIL has also begun work at a new underground mine at Tummalapalle near Pulivendula in
Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. This is expected to start producing uranium this year (2011).
This would be the first mine outside Jharkhand. A second mining project in the state is planned in
99