Jamshedpur, May 7: In a move to strengthen the country’s nuclear power programme, the department of atomic energy (DAE) has decided to mine uranium in new areas of East Singhbhum.

The department plans to invest about Rs 600 crore in five years to increase the production of uranium at its Jadugoda-based unit, Uranium Corporation of India (Ucil), to enhance India’s nuclear power programme.

Sources told The Telegraph that various projects have been lined up and company authorities have sought permission from the East Singhbhum district administration to start the projects.

Ucil chairman-cum-managing director Ramendra Gupta, in a letter to deputy commissioner Nidhi Khare, requested her to grant permission to the company to undertake the new projects.

Ucil sources said one of the top priorities of the country at present is to become a major nuclear power. “We have increased our production capacity to achieve the target,” officials said.

At present, India’s nuclear power generation is 2,720 mw. DAE has chalked out a plan to increase the nuclear power supply in each five-year plan so that by end of 2020 the total power generation of the country shoots up to 20,000 mw.

“We have planned to set up a Rs 350-crore state-of-the-art processing plant at the Turamdih mines to enhance the processing of vast quantities of uranium,” said a Ucil official.

Ucil authorities have also decided to start mining near Bandohoranga village, a few kilometres from the company’s Turamdih mines that became operational recently.

About Rs 100 crore has been spent by Ucil on the Turamdih mines. A survey of the land near Bandohoranga hamlet has shown that there are rich deposits of uranium ore and mining could take place.

“We plan to spend about Rs 70 crore in the new project and this mine would be an open-cast mines,” Ucil functionaries said.

Sources said the company intends to spend about Rs 60 crore to start uranium mining in Bagjamta which is in the bordering areas of Dhalbhumgarh and Musaboni blocks of East Singhbhum.