India to get first imported nuke fuel consignment this week

MUMBAI: India will receive this week the first consignment of natural uranium imported from French and Russian companies for its fuel-starved reactors after it got the NSG waiver for nuclear commerce in September last year.

Around 60 tonnes of natural uranium from French company AREVA is expected to arrive at Nuclear Fuel Complex in Hyderabad in a day or two and around the same quantity from Russian company TVEL in a week's time, sources in the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) said on Monday.

DAE signed a contract with AREVA for 300 tonnes of Uranium in December 2008 and with TVEL for 2000 tonnes in February this year at a cost of approximately Rs one crore per tonne, they added.

With the arrival of uranium from these companies, the Nuclear Power Corporation, a public sector undertaking of DAE which is operating all its reactors below 40 per cent capacity, is expected to augment its total power to 1800 MW as against the current 1200 MW, the sources said.