Publications

Survey of Energy Resources 2007

Uranium Country Notes

India

Exploration for uranium began in 1949, since when deposits have been located in many parts of the country. Exploratory activity is continuing, with expenditure of around US$ 20 million per annum. Uranium has been produced at the Jaduguda mine in the eastern state of Bihar since 1967. In 2005, output from this and three other mines in the same area (Narwapahar, Bhatin and Turamdih) was some 230 tonnes. The recovery of uranium as a by-product of copper refining has been temporarily suspended.

RAR (with their cost range unassigned) are reported as 54 800 tonnes. Other Identified Resources consist of just over 29 800 tonnes classified as IR, also without an assigned cost range (both were allocated to the less than US$ 130/kgU category in the Red Book). Both these amounts are expressed on an in-situ basis, thus recoverable tonnages would be substantially lower. IAEA/NEA estimates imply average recovery factors of approximately 78% for India's RAR and about 75% for its IR. Undiscovered conventional resources consist of 12 100 tonnes of PR and 17 000 tonnes of SR. Unconventional resources have been estimated to amount to about 6 600 tonnes, recoverable from copper mine tailings in the Singhbhum district of the state of Jharkhand.

An ion-exchange/acid leaching (IX/AL) plant at Jaduguda processes ore from the Jaduguda, Bhatin and Narwapahar production centres, and is scheduled to process the output of a new underground mine at Bagjata, 30 km to the east. A new IX/AL plant being built at Turamdih will take ore from the adjacent mine as well as from the uranium production centres planned for Banduhurang and Mohuldih. New production centres planned for Lambapur-Peddagattu in Andhra Pradesh and Domiasiat in Meghalaya State will have their own ore-processing facilities at Seripally (IX/AL) and Domiasiat (solvent extraction/acid leaching), respectively.