Demand and supply of uranium in nuclear plants The country has 21 nuclear power reactors under operation with an installed generating capacity of 5780 MWe. Thirteen (13) reactors with a total installed capacity of 3380 MW viz., TAPS-1&2 located at Tarapur, Maharashtra; RAPS-2 to 6 located at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan; KAPS-1&2 located at Kakrapar, Gujarat; NAPS-1&2 located at Narora, Uttar Pradesh; and KKNPP-1 located at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu are under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and are eligible for imported fuel. These reactors are operating at rated power. However, one reactor, RAPS-1 located at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan (100 MW) is under extended shutdown for techno-economic assessment. Eight (8) reactors with a total installed capacity of 2400 MW viz., TAPS-3&4 at Tarapur, Maharashtra; MAPS-1&2 near Chennai; and KGS-1 to 4 at Kaiga, Karnataka are fuelled by indigenous fuel. They are presently operated close to their rated power, matching availability of fuel. The Government had made efforts to augment indigenous uranium supply by opening of new mines and processing facilities thus narrowing down the demand-supply gap for reactors using indigenous fuel. As a result, there has been a progressive improvement in capacity utilisation of nuclear power plants. To meet requirement of fuel for reactors under IAEA safeguards, agreements for import of uranium are signed with M/s Navoi Mining & Metallurgical Combinat State Company (NMMC), Uzbekistan; M/s JSC TVEL Corporation, Russia; M/s NAC Kazatomprom, Kazakhstan, and M/s CAMECO, Canada. This information was given by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in reply to unstarred question in Rajya Sabha today.
