India’s nuclear fuel supply chain spans domestic mining, fuel fabrication, spent fuel reprocessing, and vitrified waste management. While the civilian fuel cycle operates under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards, the strategic national security program remains strictly isolated from commercial operations and closed to foreign involvement.
Uranium Mining & Overseas Procurement
Domestic extraction is managed by the state-run Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), which operates underground and open-pit mines primarily across the eastern state of Jharkhand and the southern state of Andhra Pradesh. Although India’s total domestic uranium reserves exceed 400,000 metric tons, the ore is relatively low-grade, making domestic processing significantly costlier than importing fuel from global benchmarks.
To support its target of reaching 100 GWe of nuclear capacity by 2047, India imports natural uranium oxide (yellowcake). Active procurement channels include major global producers across Kazakhstan, Canada, Australia, Russia, and Uzbekistan. India also holds over 225,000 tons of thorium contained within coastal monazite beach sands, reserved for Stage 3 of its long-term nuclear roadmap.
Fuel Fabrication & Capacity Expansion
Headquartered in Telangana in South India, the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC, Hyderabad) serves as the hub of domestic fuel fabrication. NFC processes yellowcake into nuclear-grade uranium dioxide.
To feed the expanding fleet of standardized 700 MWe PHWRs, India expanded its fabrication footprint with a major 500-metric-ton-per-year (~1.1 million pounds per year) facility at NFC-Kota, licensed by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). Beyond standard uranium bundles, specialized facilities under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and BARC manufacture advanced fuel types, including:
Mixed Oxide (MOX) fuel for boiling water reactors
Carbide and oxide fuels designed for fast breeder reactors
Spent Fuel Reprocessing & Waste Management
India adheres to a closed fuel cycle strategy, reprocessing spent fuel to recover plutonium and unburnt uranium to feed its Stage 2 Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) program. Active industrial reprocessing plants process safeguarded fuel in full compliance with IAEA oversight and bilateral international agreements.
High-level liquid waste generated during reprocessing is converted into durable glass matrices via Waste Immobilization Plants (WIPs). This vitrified waste is placed in climate-controlled Solid Storage Surveillance Facilities (SSSF) for interim cooling prior to eventual long-term disposal in deep geological repositories.
Enrichment Capabilities
High-capacity Light Water Reactors (LWRs), such as the VVER-1000 units operating at Kudankulam, rely on enriched uranium fuel assemblies imported directly from foreign partners like Russia’s Rosatom.
Domestically, India operates gas centrifuge enrichment infrastructure, most notably the Rare Materials Plant (RMP) near Mysore, under the DAE. These facilities function outside commercial power channels, focusing instead on specialized research and naval nuclear propulsion applications.
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Last updated: July 31st, 2026
