Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar (in blue shirt sporting helmet) talks to officials during the inauguration of the uranium ore processing plant at Turamdih. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Turamdih, June 25: The second uranium ore processing unit of the country was inaugurated here today by Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar.

Kakodkar was here along with officials of the department of atomic energy and the chairman and managing director of Uranium Corporation of India Limited, Ramendra Gupta, to inaugurate the processing plant.

This is the second uranium ore processing plant, after Jadugoda, which will produce magnesium-di-uranite (MDU) that will be sent to the nuclear fuel complex in Hyderabad.

Speaking on the occasion, Kakodkar refuted any scope of smuggling of either ore or processed uranium from the country.

“There has often been reports of smuggling of processed uranium (yellow cake) out of the country. Although it is the responsibility of local police to investigate the cases of uranium smuggling but we have not ignored our duty either. We have our own investigating agency, which follows each and every report of uranium smuggling and I can say that not a single case so far has turned out to be true. All the material seized from different places either turned out to be raisin or scrap, which is of no use for us. The scrap is main- ly used in non nuclear activities such as shielding,” Kakodkar said.

About the future plan of the country’s nuclear power generation, he said that the department is working on the prototype of fast breeder reactors.

According to him, the present nuclear power generation capacity of the country with the available reserve of uranium is to the tune of 10,000MW.

“Bharatiya Navikya Bidyut Nigam is already working on this. If we succeed in commercial production of fast breeder reactors, the total generation capacity with the same resources will shoot up to about 500,000MW.”

Kakodkar hinted that the future generation reactor producing large-scale power would also help bring down the cost per unit of electricity by 15 to 20 per cent making nuclear energy cheaper.

The processing plant, which includes a milling unit and a control research and development complex, would process 3,000 tonnes of uranium ore a day.

Sources in UCIL said that the total cost of plant construction was about Rs 350cr and the project was executed by Engineering Projects India Limited.

The raw materials for the processing plant would be generated at the three mines of UCIL located at Banduhurang and Turamdih in East Singhbhum and Mohuldih in Seraikela-Kharsawan district.

The Mohuldih mine was also inaugurated by Kakodkar today.

The mine, slated to produce 1.5 lakh tonnes of ore a year, would be developed at a cost of Rs 90cr, within 48 months.

Gupta said that the company had started pre-project work at Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh.

“Simultaneously, we are also exploring the possibility of starting mining activity in Karnataka and Rajasthan to meet the nuclear fuel need of the country,” said Gupta.