State-owned Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) has commissioned a new underground uranium mine and processing plant at Tummalapalle in Andhra Pradesh.
The Tummalapalle deposit hosts around 60,000 tonnes of uranium and continued exploration shows the promise of further reserves, according to UCIL. Operation of the underground facility will produce 3000 tonnes of ore per day, UCIL said.
A processing plant located next to the mine will use alkali pressure leaching to produce sodium di-uranate from the ore.
UCIL said in a statement, 20 April that it is: “committed to meet its mandate of supplying adequate fuel to [the] country’s nuclear power programme.” The commissioning of the Tummalapalle mine marks a proud moment in India’s efforts towards energy security, it added.
UCIL currently operates six underground mines, one opencast mine, and two processing plants in Jharkhand. This is the company’s first project outside of Jharkhand.
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