NEWS: India is strengthening domestic uranium production and thorium-based nuclear technology to enhance energy security and reduce import dependence.
ABOUT ATOMIC MINERALS
- Uranium (U) → Atomic number 92; primary nuclear fuel.
- Thorium (Th) → Atomic number 90; potential future nuclear fuel.
- Other minerals → Beryllium, zirconium + lithium.
INDIA’S THREE-STAGE NUCLEAR PROGRAMME
- Stage I → Natural uranium-fuelled Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs).
- Stage II → Fast Breeder Reactors using plutonium-based fuel.
- Stage III → Thorium-based reactors using Uranium-233.
URANIUM IN INDIA
- Major deposits → Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh + Telangana.
- Important mines → Jaduguda, Narwapahar, Turamdih + Tummalapalle.
- Jaduguda → First uranium mine in India; opened in 1968.
- India imports uranium to supplement domestic production.
THORIUM + MONAZITE
- Monazite → Thorium-bearing phosphate mineral containing rare earth elements.
- Major deposits → Coastal placer sands of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh +
- Thorianite → Another thorium-bearing mineral.
- Thorium-232 → Main naturally occurring thorium isotope.
OTHER ATOMIC MINERALS
- Beryllium → Used in specialised nuclear and aerospace applications.
- Zirconium → Used in nuclear reactor components due to low neutron absorption.
- Lithium → Important for batteries and emerging nuclear technologies.
- Ilmenite → Major source of titanium; associated with coastal heavy-mineral sands.
URANIUM: GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION
- Major producers → Kazakhstan, Canada + Australia.
- Athabasca Basin → High-grade uranium deposits in Canada.
- Olympic Dam → Important uranium-bearing deposit in Australia.
RARE EARTH ELEMENTS (REEs)
- Total → 17 elements: 15 lanthanides + scandium + yttrium.
- Uses → Electronics, electric vehicles, renewable energy, healthcare + defence.
- Monazite → Important source of rare earth elements.