Gravitas | India locks in uranium from Uzbekistan, targets nuclear superpower status

In another vital step to ensuring energy self-sufficiency, India decided to finalise a long-term agreement with Uzbekistan for the supply of uranium. The deal will guarantee a steady supply of raw nuclear material from Uzbekistan, which accounts for nearly 6.6% of the world's uranium production. This underscores New Delhi's drive to diversify its strategic energy imports and stabilise domestic power generation through clean, base-load nuclear power.

This is also seen as a part of India's goal of achieving 100 gigawatt of nuclear capacity by 2047, when the country completes hundred years of independence. At present, India operates 24 nuclear power reactors, with a capacity of 8.78 gigawatt.

Listen in to PM Modi outlining India's nuclear vision during his Independence Day speech...

Now, India has been building a global uranium supply chain by securing long-term supplies from across the world. India already has a long-term uranium supply agreement with Kazakhstan, which is the world's largest producer of uranium.

During PM Modi's visit to Canada in March, Canadian firm Cameco entered into a commercial agreement with India's Department of Atomic Energy. As a result, India will get nearly 22 million pounds of uranium ore concentrate from Canada between 2027 to 2035. This shall contribute to the country's civil nuclear energy generation, clean energy transition objectives, and long-term energy security.

This is not all. When PM Modi met Australian PM Anthony Albanese in Melbourne last month, both countries finalised administrative arrangements to enable the export of Australian uranium to India for peaceful purposes. This was in pursuance of provisions under the 2015 Australia-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement.

Amid growing energy demands, India's emphasis on augmenting sources of uranium procurement is set to further expand the country's nuclear capacity.