INDIA AND CANADA SEAL $2.8 BILLION URANIUM PACT

Why is this in the News?

Context : India and Canada are close to finalising a $2.8 billion (approx. ₹23,000 Crore) pact for the long-term supply of uranium.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PACT :

Supplier: The uranium will likely be supplied by the Canadian mining giant Cameco Corp.
Duration: The agreement is expected to span the next decade (10 years).
Objective: To fuel India’s expanding fleet of nuclear power reactors, ensuring energy security and reducing carbon reliance.
Diplomatic Thaw: This deal signals a “reset” in India-Canada relations, moving past recent diplomatic strains to focus on trade, energy, and technology.

1. URANIUM: THE PRIMARY FISSILE FUEL

Properties & Isotopes

Nature: Silvery-gray metallic radioactive element; naturally formed in supernova explosions.
Isotopes: Natural uranium consists of U-238 (99.27%) and U-235 (0.72%).
Fissility: While all isotopes are radioactive, only U-235 is fissile (sustains a neutron-mediated chain reaction).
Commercial Viability: Found everywhere in traces, but commercial extraction is limited to high-concentration deposits.

Global Distribution

Major Reserves: Australia, Kazakhstan, and Canada hold the largest viable deposits.
Key Mines:
- Australia: Olympic Dam and Ranger mine.
- Canada: Athabasca Basin (High-grade deposits), Cigar Lake, McArthur River.
- Kazakhstan: Chu-Sarysu basin (Accounts for >50% of the country’s resources).

Indian Scenario

Status: India has no significant reserves; largely dependent on imports (Russia, Kazakhstan, France).
Production: Accounts for only 2% of global production (Reserve estimate: ~30,480 tonnes).
Key Occurrences:
- Jharkhand: Singhbhum and Hazaribagh districts.
- Rajasthan: Copper mines of Udaipur.
- Andhra Pradesh/Telangana: Recent discoveries between Seshachalam forest and Srisailam.
- Others: Gaya (Bihar), Sedimentary rocks in Saharanpur (UP).
Secondary Source: Monazite sands (Kerala coast) contain estimated 15,200 tonnes of uranium.

2. THORIUM: INDIA’S STRATEGIC ASSET

Properties & Occurrence

Abundance: Estimated to be 3 to 4 times more abundant than uranium in Earth’s crust.
Source: Chiefly refined from Monazite sands (contains ~2.5% Thorium).
Isotopes: Th-232 is the most stable and naturally occurring isotope.
Potential: Predicted to replace uranium as nuclear fuel (Stage III of India’s Nuclear Program).

Distribution

Global Dominance: India and Australia possess more than half of the world’s thorium reserves. The USA also holds significant reserves.
Indian Distribution:
- Primary: Kerala Coast (Largest concentration of Monazite).
- Other Producers: Jharkhand, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, and Rajasthan.
- Minerals: Monazite and Thorianite.

Strategic Advantages over Uranium

Proliferation Resistance: Weapons-grade material (U-233) is hard to retrieve safely due to the presence of U-232 (strong gamma radiation).
Waste Management: Produces 10 to 10,000 times less long-lived radioactive waste. Toxic lifespan is centuries, not millennia.
Efficiency: Higher burn-up capability makes it cheaper; produces a single pure isotope requiring no enrichment.
Safety: Cannot sustain a chain reaction without priming (fission stops automatically in accelerator-driven systems).

3. Monazite & Rare Earth Elements (REE)

Composition: Reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing Rare Earth Metals and Thorium.
Significance of REEs: A group of 17 elements vital for modern technology (electronics, clean energy, defense).
Properties: Unique magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical qualities allowing for miniaturization and energy efficiency.

Mineral	Key Use/Property	Indian Distribution
Beryllium	Used as a ‘Moderator’ in nuclear reactors.	Reserves are sufficient for India’s needs.
Lithium	Light metal; found in minerals Lepidolite and Spodumene.	Mica belts of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Zirconium	Used in nuclear applications.	Kerala coast, Alluvial rocks of Ranchi and Hazaribagh (Jharkhand).