Tummalapalle uranium mine

On 23 Aug 2007, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) of the Government of India cleared the setting up of a uranium mine and processing plant by the Uranium Corporation of India, with an estimated cost of {{INRConvert|11.06|b}}.

{{cite news

|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/25/stories/2007082563481200.htm

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219053025/http://www.hindu.com/2007/08/25/stories/2007082563481200.htm

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=19 December 2007

|title=CCEA clears proposal for uranium plant|work=The Hindu

|last=Special Correspondent

|date=25 August 2007

|accessdate=3 August 2011

|location=New Delhi}} After that the Uranium Corporation of India acquired {{convert|1122|acres}} of government land at {{INRConvert|50000}} per {{convert|1|acre}} and {{convert|1118|acres}} of private land at a price of {{INRConvert|180000}} for {{convert|1|acre}} of wetland and {{INRConvert|120000}} for dry land in Tummalapalle, Rachakundapalle, KK Kottaland, and Mabbuchintalapalle villages in Pulivendula constituency. On 20 November 2007 the then Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy laid the foundation stone for the mine.

{{cite news

|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/20/stories/2007112061510500.htm

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071203192118/http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/20/stories/2007112061510500.htm

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=3 December 2007

|title='No radiation effect around Tummalapalle

|date=20 November 2007

|last=Special Correspondent

|work=The Hindu

|accessdate=3 August 2011

|location=Hyderabad}}

UCIL commissioned the Cuddapah Uranium Phase-1 Project with 3000 tonnes on 20 April 2012.{{Cite web|url=http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2924/stories/20121214292409000.htm|title=Latest News & Dispatches on Politics, Social Issues, Economy}}

Tummalapalle uranium ore mine is located in Vemula Mandal of Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh at a distance of {{convert|70|km|mi}} from Kadapa, the district's headquarters. The area where the deposits were found is covered in Survey of India's topographic sheet Nos. 57 J/3 and 57 J/7 between latitudes 14°18'36" N & 14°20'20" N and longitudes 78°15'16" E & 78°18' 03.3" E. The nearest town is Pulivendla, which is {{convert|15|km|mi}} away (by road) towards the north-west. The mine is linked to Pulivendla through village roads leading to State Highway No.18, which connects Kadapa with Velidandla. The nearest railway station is Muddanurru on South Central Railway’s Hyderabad – Chennai BG Line, which is {{convert|50|km|mi}} towards the north-east.

{{cite journal

|title=Uranium project at Tummalapalle – executive summary

|publisher=Uranium Corporation of India

|url=http://www.appcb.ap.nic.in/public%20hearing/ph/to_be_conducted/many/TUMMALAPALLI%20URANIUM%20MINING%20PROJECT%20YSR%20KADAPA%20DIST%20%20EXE%20SUM%20%20ENG.pdf

|accessdate=3 August 2011}} {{Dead link|date=March 2012}}

The mine will draw most of its water requirements from the river Chitravathi. Design, construction and commissioning work of intake well and pump house at Chitravati River basin, the water and effluent treatment plants and the condensate recovery unit at uranium ore processing plant and laying of cross-country pipeline from the river Chitravati to the uranium ore processing plant – all these tasks were contracted by Jamshedpur Utilities & Services Company (Jusco), a 100% subsidiary company of Tata Steel, on EPC basis.{{cite news |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Jusco-enters-south-through-Ucil-project-in-Andhra/347815/ |title=Jusco enters south through Ucil project in Andhra |work=The Financial Express|location=India |last=State Bureau |accessdate=3 August 2011 |date=12 August 2008}} The water system project, the construction of which commenced in August 2008, was inaugurated by Srikumar Banerjee on 7 July 2011.{{cite news|url=http://www.orissadiary.com/Shownews.asp?id=27900|title=Jusco inaugurates water system project of Uranium Corporation of India at Tummalapalle, Andhra Pradesh|date=14 July 2011|work=Orissa Diary|accessdate=3 August 2011|location=Hyderabad|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320014738/http://www.orissadiary.com/Shownews.asp?id=27900|archive-date=20 March 2012|url-status=dead}}

The construction works for the first phase of the uranium purification was completed in 2012 and Cuddapah Uranium Phase-1 Project was commissioned with 3000 tonnes capacity on 20 April 2012. Phase one of the uranium purification plant has a capacity to treat 3,000 tonnes of ore per day. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has developed an innovative, economically viable process for the recovery of low-grade uranium (less than 0.2%) from the Tummalapalle ore mine. As illustrated by Dr. A. K. Suri, Director of Materials Group, BARC, "the main objective of making a techno-economically viable process flow-sheet is to reduce the number of stages of unit operations and conservations leachants(sic) by regeneration and recycle(sic) leading to minimisation of fresh water inventory as well as quantum(sic) of liquid effluent discharge for the most challenging low-grade uranium ore".

{{cite news

|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/150550/method-recover-low-grade-uranium.html

|title=New method to recover low-grade uranium from Tummalapalle ore

|date=1 April 2011

|work=Deccan Herald

|accessdate=3 August 2011

|location=Mumbai}}

The hydro-metallurgical uranium purification plant which would be constructed in the mine's current lease period, will treat the dolomite based uraniferous which is found in the deposits. On the mode of operation, the Uranium Corporation of India report stated that "in the initial period of operation of mine, ore will be received from decline having particle size of 80% passing through 10 cm screen and will be transported by covered dumpers from the mine site to the ore processing plant and later by covered conveyor". This mine would be the first in the country to adopt alkali based leaching in place of the conventional acid based leaching method.

{{cite news

|url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/01/stories/2010080160620800.htm

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110070850/http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/01/stories/2010080160620800.htm

|url-status=dead

|archive-date=10 November 2012

|title=First reactor at Koodankulam to go critical by year-end: AEC Chairman

|date=1 August 2010

|accessdate=19 July 2011

|newspaper=The Hindu

|location=Chennai}} This process was chosen on the basis of the nature of the ore found in the site. BARC has developed a well-integrated flowsheet for the process to treat the low-grade uranium ore extracted from the alkaline host rocks in Tummalapalle.

Effluents from the plant caused damage to standing crops and polluted groundwater table, when Uranium waste tailing pond brimmed over in the wake of heavy rains in 2021.{{Cite web |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/politics/090621/grave-risk-to-kadapa-villages-from-uranium.html |title=Grave risk to Kadapa villages from uranium |date=2021-06-10 |access-date=2023-05-10 |website=Deccan Chronicle}}

The Bonds Work Index of the Tummalapalle uranium ore sample is 13.6 kWh/tonne and the mineralogical composition is as follows,{{cite journal|last=Suri|first=A.K|title=Innovative process flowsheet for the recovery of Uranium from Tummalapalle Ore|publisher=BARC|issue=317|date=November–December 2010|url=http://www.barc.ernet.in/publications/nl/2010/2010111205.pdf|accessdate=3 August 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927122845/http://www.barc.ernet.in/publications/nl/2010/2010111205.pdf|archive-date=27 September 2011}}

• Nuclear power in India
• Energy policy of India
• List of uranium mines
• Uranium market
• Uranium mining debate
• Uranium reserves
• Peak uranium
• Uranium mining controversy in Kakadu National Park
• Uranium metallurgy

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{{Reflist}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110714193847/http://www.ucil.gov.in/web/index.asp Uranium Corporation of India] – Official Website
• [http://www.iaea.org/OurWork/ST/NE/NEFW/documents/RawMaterials/TM_LGUO/3c%20Suri%20Alkaline%20Process.pdf Process development studies for lowgrade Uranium deposits in alkaline host rocks of Tummalapalle] Research paper of BARC at IAEA TM on Low Grade Uranium Deposits Vienna, 29 March 31, 2010
• [http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2924/stories/20121214292409000.htm fuel of future]

{{Nuclear power in India}}

Category:Uranium mines in India

Category:Mining in Andhra Pradesh

Category:Geography of Kadapa district

Category:2007 establishments in Andhra Pradesh