Bangalore, Aug. 10 (ANI): The Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Anil Kakodkar, has said that India is set to open new uranium mines and boost its nuclear power generation capacity, as the country’s fuel supplies are expected to get a major push from international suppliers.

Kakodkar told reporters here that the first consignment of 120 tonnes of uranium pellets has already landed in India, and the government is engaged in a dialogue with international vendor countries to get more such supplies. He added that uranium has been delivered under a long-term contract with Russia.

“They (Russia) will keep delivering and we will use it in the reactors, which we are putting under safeguards. We also had a contract with Areva (of France) and uranium has come from there too,” Kakodkar said.

Stating that India is negotiating with several countries, Kakodkar insisted that discussions with some countries were “in very fluid stages”.

“Prospective vendor companies are currently in discussion mode and have to go through a lot of understanding about the reactors and their design, among other things,” he added. (ANI)