Uranium mining units to come up in Andhra

The Centre is proposing to invest about Rs 1,800 crore to establish two uranium mining and milling plants in Andhra Pradesh.

Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission and secretary, department of Atomic Energy, disclosed this here today.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) day function here, Kakodkar said his department was planning to establish one facility in Nalgonda district and the other in Kadapa where the exploration conclusively established availability of uranium deposits.

According to Kakodkar, the department of atomic energy would start work on the proposed mining facility in Nalgonda district as soon as it got site clearances.

"The country has rich and sufficient uranium deposits to generate 10,000 mw power. Yet, it now accounts for only 3 per cent of the total installed capacity in the country," he said.

While the department is looking at mining activity in Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh, exploration for uranium reserves is underway in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka, according to Kakodkar.