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| India-Pakistan |
| India receives 60 tonnes uranium fuel from France |
| 2009-04-01 |
| Following clearance by the Nuclear Suppliers Group, first consignment of 60 tonnes of uranium ore concentrate, imported from France, has arrived at the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) here for being converted into fuel for power reactors. This uranium ore would be processed and used to pruduce power in safeguarded pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs). Disclosing this at a press conference here on Tuesday, R N Jayaraj, chief executive, NFC , said that consequent to Indo-US nuclear deal, the 123 agreement and clearance by NSG to enable full civil nuclear cooperation, India and France had entered into bilateral cooperation for supplying reactors and fuel. As a first step, Department of Atomic Energy entered into a contract with French Nuclear supplier AREVA NC for the supply of 300 tonnes of uranium ore concentrate and 60 tonnes were released under the first consignment which was received by the NFC. Jayaraj said the fuel would be processed in the designated fuel plants at the NFC by converting uranium ore concentrated into nuclear grade uranium dioxide powder and then compacted in the form of cylindrical pellets. These pellets will then stacked and encapsulated in thin walled tubes of zirconium alloy which will be sealed by resistance welding using end plugs, a technology which has been innovated in India. |
| Posted by:john frum |