With the Tummalapalle uranium mines becoming operational, Andhra Pradesh will soon supply about 25 per cent of the uranium required by nuclear power plants in the country. Tummalapalle village in Kadapa district contains the world’s largest uranium reserves and the uranium mill set up by the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) has started operations. To begin with, the Tummalapalle mine will meet a quarter of the energy needs of nuclear power plants in the country.
Dr S.K. Jain, chairman and managing director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), told reporters here on Monday that mining of uranium had started in Tummallapalle. Though he refused to give details about the quantum of uranium mined at Tummalapalle, he said the mine would provide 25 per cent of the uranium needs of the country. He said that nuclear energy generation in the country had touched a record 32,000 million units this financial year, which is drawing to a close later this week. This is 40 per cent more than last year’s nuclear energy production in the country. The turnover last year was Rs 5,000 crore and it has increased to Rs 8,000 crore this year.