Physics lab to be inaugurated inside Jadugoda uranium mine

A research and development facility will be inaugurated inside the deepest uranium mine of the Uranium Corporation of India Limited at Jadugoda near here on September 2, a senior UCIL official said.
The new physics laboratory in a uranium mine will be the first of its kind in the country after closure of a similar facility at Bharat Gold Mine at Kolar in Karnataka in 1992, A K Sarangi, General Manager (Corporate Planning), UCIL said here today.
The UCIL and Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics (SINP), Kolkata have set up the laboratory for experiments in fundamental physics involving rare event searches like dark matter search, neutrinoless double beta decay, he said.

Sekhar Basu, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, will inaugurate the facility set up at a depth of 555 metre inside the oldest uranium mine at Jaduguda, around 30 km from here, on September 2.
Sarangi said, in the first phase, the infrastructure available at a depth of 555 metre in the mine was found to be suitable for construction of a small to medium size laboratory.
The present depth of Jaduguda mine is now 905 metre. It is the second deepest operating underground mine of the country after Hutti gold mine which is more than 1000 metre deep.

Referring to activities of UCIL in Jharkhand, Sarangi said, the public sector unit has altogether seven mines including six underground mines. These mines are Jaduguda, Bhatin, Narwapahar, Bagjata, Turamdih and Mahuldih and Banduhurang (open pit mine).

The UCIL operates two ore processing plants one each at Jadugude and Turamdih.
While the mining activity at Jaduguda and Bhatin mine are stalled since September 2014 due to mining lease and forest land renewal issue, other mines are working satisfactorily, he said.
Sarangi said, the UCIL has a proposal to set up additional production facilities in the vicinity of Narwapahar in East Singhbum district and modernise its Bhatin mine.

These activities will require an investment of about Rs 1,500 crore in the coming 6-7 years, he said.