Summary
Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL), under the Department of Atomic Energy, plans to double domestic uranium output by 2036. The plan has two parts. The first is a by-product initiative with Hindustan Copper Ltd (HCL), expected to begin in 2029-30.
HCL retains about 5% of its mined material as copper and UCIL will take the 95% reject stream, recover a share of it for uranium processing and return the balance to HCL. UCIL CMD Kancham Anand Rao said this involves no mining cost.
The second part is four greenfield projects: Rohil in Rajasthan, designed to handle 2,500 tonnes of uranium ore a day; Gogi in Karnataka, at an early stage; and two more planned in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Rao said private entry into nuclear power generation would complement UCIL's role.
WHY IT MATTERS FOR UPSC & STATE PCS
At a media workshop at Jaduguda, Jharkhand, UCIL CMD Kancham Anand Rao described the company's strategy to double India's domestic uranium output by 2036. The strategy combines four greenfield mines with uranium recovery from Hindustan Copper's reject stream, under an understanding with HCL expected to take effect from 2029-30.
The plan matters for the fuel security of India's expanding nuclear programme, which targets 100 GW of capacity by 2047.
Standard News
Skipping the Expensive Half of Mining: Why Copper Rejects Are Worth Processing for Uranium
Here's what's actually happening. Mining any metal has two halves. The first half is breaking rock out of the ground, hauling it to a plant, then crushing and grinding it to powder. The second half is chemistry: dissolving the valuable element out of that powder and purifying it.
For low-grade ore, the first half is where much of the money goes, because tonnes of rock have to be moved and ground for every kilogram of metal recovered. Hindustan Copper already does the first half every day. It digs and grinds copper ore, keeps the roughly 5% that becomes copper concentrate and rejects the other 95%.
In the Singhbhum copper belt, that rejected rock carries traces of uranium. UCIL's plan is to take over at the second half. The reject stream reaches UCIL already mined, hauled and ground, which is why CMD Kancham Anand Rao says there is no mining cost.
UCIL recovers a share of the material for uranium processing and sends the rest back to HCL. One company's waste becomes another company's feedstock: a circular economy arrangement between two public sector undertakings.
Where the Analogy Stops Working "Free ore" is not free uranium. Three costs remain:
- Very low grade: Singhbhum copper ores average around 0.01% U3O8, so enormous volumes must be processed for small yields.
- Recovery efficiency: UCIL has done this before, at the Mosabani and Rakha plants, but recovery by older methods was low. Success depends on better leaching chemistry, not just access to the material.
- Radiological control: anything handling uranium requires atomic-energy clearances and safe residue management, which is partly why extraction starts only in 2029-30. The copper waste route lowers the cost of uranium recovery but does not make it trivial.
The Hedge: Greenfield Mines Plus By-Product Recovery
By-product uranium is only a supplement. The larger increase must come from new mines: Rohil in Rajasthan, designed to handle 2,500 tonnes of ore a day (ore, not uranium), Gogi in Karnataka and two planned sites in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Together they spread India's supply beyond the Jharkhand belt. Why does this matter strategically? India imports uranium, but imported fuel can be used only in reactors under IAEA safeguards. Domestic uranium gives India flexibility over its own fleet and protects it against supplier shocks as the programme moves towards 100 GW by 2047.
With private companies entering power generation while mining stays with the government under the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, demand for fuel will grow faster than state-controlled supply unless both of these levers deliver.
Quick Facts
Key numbers & takeaways — revise these first
-
UCIL: public sector undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy; India's sole uranium miner Target: double domestic uranium output by 2036 Copper residue initiative: understanding with Hindustan Copper Ltd, with extraction expected from 2029-30 HCL keeps about 5% of mined material as copper; the remaining 95% is reject UCIL processes the reject stream, recovers a share of it and returns the balance waste to HCL Rohil, Sikar district, Rajasthan: the most prominent greenfield project, designed for 2,500 tonnes of uranium ore per day Gogi, Yadgir district, Karnataka: greenfield project at an early stage Two further greenfield projects planned in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Jaduguda, Jharkhand: India's first uranium mine Singhbhum copper ores contain on average about 0.01% U3O8 UCIL earlier recovered uranium from HCL copper tailings at Mosabani and Rakha Atomic Energy Act, 1962: uranium mining and processing remain under government control Private players may enter nuclear power generation, but not uranium mining Nuclear power target: 100 GW by 2047
Connect the dots for your UPSC preparation.
Standard news covers the event. Log in to read our comprehensive analysis and uncover the hidden constitutional, structural, and ethical dimensions of this topic:
A cost breakdown showing which stages of mining the copper-reject route skips and which three costs it cannot avoid
Why the 10% recovery figure is still unclear and what it would need to mean for the scheme to work
How the safeguards rule on imported fuel turns domestic uranium from a cost question into a question of strategic autonomy
A short-term and long-term way forward on recovery chemistry, greenfield timelines and residue safety for the Jharkhand belt
Included in this analysis
Join thousands of aspirants analyzing the news deeply.
Unlock Premium — Rs.699 AnnuallyDon't have an account? Sign up for free