Gogi mine to yield 150 tonnes uranium a year

The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) is all set to exploit the techno-commercially viable deposits at Gogi, said to contain uranium ore of higher quality among all the existing mines in the country.

Although the UCIL has refused to part with a copy of the detailed project report (DPR) sought by Deccan Herald under the Right To Information Act, the former, however, has made available a copy of executive summary of Environment Impact Assessment (EIA).

After the UCIL Public Information Officer denied access to DPR and EIA, an appeal was made before the appellate authority and subsequently UCIL Director (Technical) D Acharya who is the appellate authority has provided the summary of the EIA. According to him, the DPR was under the consideration of Government of India.

The preliminary exploration conducted by the Atomic Mineral Directorate (AMD), a constituent of Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) for exploration and research has established mineralisation over a strike length of 2 km.

The prime mandate of AMD is to identify and evaluate uranium resources required for successful implementation of the atomic energy programme of the country. The ore reserves of Gogi are approximately 3,077 tonnes of uranium. The UCIL, however, is yet to obtain a few important statutory clearances for uranium mining such as environment clearance, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board clearance, grant of mining lease, etc. Once clearances are obtained, mining and processing will begin.

As many as four villages of Shahapur taluk will come in direct contact of the mining and processing activities. Uranium mining lease is spread over 39.13 hectares of land of Gogi village while the site of the proposed ore processing plant is spread over 102.23 hectares  under three villages Saidapur, Diggi and Umardoddi.

The mine will produce 1.50 lakh tonne of uranium ore a year that will be processed to extract 150 tonnes of uranium as SDU a year. The uranium extracted as crude salt will be trucked to Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad, which is about 250 km from Gogi, for further processing. The minerable reserves of uranium ore are adequate for 15 years mine life with rated capacity of 500 tonnes a day.

Presently, exploratory mining is being carried out at Gogi Uranium Mine. Shaft sinking of five-metre diameter has already been started and a 135 m shaft has been sunk. The total length of 225 metres of the shaft will be sunk before mining begins.

Gogi has excellent connectivity by road and rail. The nearest railway station is about 45 km at Yadgir. Though at present the nearest airport is at Hyderabad in all probability the Gulbarga Greenfield Airport, of which runway work is going on, will be in operation by the time commercial mining is started at Gogi.

Gogi deposits are the latest in the series being exploited by the UCIL. It is already engaged uranium mining and processing  at Jaduguda, Bhatin, Narwapahar, Turamdih, Banduhurang, and Bagjata, all in East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.