Pakistan prepares plan to explore uranium within country

Islamabad, Mar 1 (UNI) Pakistan Government has prepared a 600 million dollar extensive plan for exploring and mining uranium deposits in the country to fuel future nuclear power plants.

Uranium deposits so far discovered in Siwalik rocks in some parts of central Punjab were of low grade. However, by applying new mining technique, good quality uranium could be produced at a competitive rate with a view to progressively developing the uranium mining sector, The Dawn newspaper today quoted sources as saying.

The mineral sector is required to produce 350 tons of yellow cake (U3O8) per year by 2015 for meeting one-third requirements of the planned nuclear power plants.

The mining of uranium will be undertaken at three sites -- Bannu Basin, Suleman Range-3 and Suleman Range-4, in Dera Ghazi Khan town of Punjab, to produce the required fuel for the plants.

Through these plants the government wants to produce 8,800 mw of electricity by the 2030.

The sources said Pakistan had been forced to develop its own uranium resource programme as none of developed countries was ready to supply the required amount of uranium to help feed the country's reactors.

The directorate general of mining projects has been entrusted with the task of developing new uranium resources, which will ensure indigenous source of fuel supply for nuclear power plants.

All the needed management structure and manpower requirements, including specialised skills, will be provided to the director general of mining projects during execution and operational phases, the news paper said.

UNI