States » EastPosted at: Oct 4 2026 6:44PM


From Jaduguda to a wider Uranium network: Jharkhand’s contribution to India’s nuclear energy journey

Jaduguda (Jamshedpur), Oct 4 (UNI) Deep beneath the mineral-rich landscape of Jharkhand, a state renowned for its natural heritage and scenic beauty, lies a story deeply intertwined with India’s quest to build an indigenous nuclear energy programme, with its seven uranium mines playing an important role in meeting the country’s uranium requirements.
For more than six decades, the mines and processing plants around Jaduguda in East Singhbhum district have been supplying uranium for the country’s nuclear fuel cycle. What began in the 1960s as an ambitious mining and processing project has gradually evolved into a wider industrial network involving mining, ore processing, engineering, scientific expertise, environmental management and specialised human resources.
Presently, Jharkhand has seven uranium mines operated by Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), a public sector undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy. Of the seven mines, Banduhurang in East Singhbhum district is an open-cast mine, while Jaduguda, Bhatin, Narwapahar, Turamdih and Bagjata are underground uranium mines. Mahuldih, the seventh mine, is located in Seraikela-Kharsawan district and is also an underground operation. All these mines are operated by Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), a public sector undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy.
UCIL entered its 60th year on October 4, 2026. The occasion is more than the anniversary of a public sector company, as it marks a six-decade-long industrial, scientific and institutional journey that began when India was building the domestic capabilities required for its nuclear energy programme.
Jaduguda, now a well-known name in East Singhbhum, presents an important chapter in this journey. More than six decades ago, the area was witnessing the construction of what was then described as the Jaduguda Uranium Mill and Mine Project.
The Government of India’s journal Yojana, in an issue published in 1965, recorded the large-scale construction activity at Jaduguda, where workers, engineers and technical experts were engaged in developing the ambitious project being undertaken by the Department of Atomic Energy to provide uranium for the country’s nuclear programme. Photographs published in the journal provide a glimpse of Jaduguda in its formative years. The headframe of the mine shaft was then under construction.
According to Yojana, the structure was 45.5 metres high and had been erected in 240 hours. Another photograph showed the ore-crushing equipment of the uranium processing plant under construction. The first photograph was credited to the Atomic Energy Commission and the second to S. Kumar. These archival images underline that India’s uranium journey did not begin with an established industrial complex, but with the construction of infrastructure, technical experimentation and the creation of institutional capabilities.
India’s nuclear programme was never confined to the construction of nuclear power plants. Developing capabilities across the nuclear fuel cycle was equally important, making the exploration, mining and processing of domestic uranium resources an integral part of the country’s long-term nuclear strategy.
According to UCIL, mining at Jaduguda began in 1967. A 640-metre-deep vertical shaft was developed to access the mine, with the lowest production level initially reaching 555 metres. Subsequently, an auxiliary shaft was developed to a depth of 905 metres.
The year 1967 was significant for another reason. UCIL was incorporated on October 4, 1967, as a public sector undertaking under the Department of Atomic Energy. The company was established to meet the uranium requirements of India’s nuclear energy programme.
Jaduguda subsequently evolved from being a mining operation into the centre of a broader mining and processing network. According to UCIL, ore from Jaduguda, Bhatin, Bagjata and Narwapahar is processed at the Jaduguda plant, where uranium is recovered through a hydrometallurgical process. The process involves crushing and wet grinding of the ore, followed by chemical treatment and separation operations, including filtration and ion exchange. The uranium is subsequently recovered in the form of magnesium diuranate, commonly known as yellowcake.
A UCIL technical document states that the Jaduguda processing plant was commissioned in 1968 and was subsequently expanded to process ore from additional mines.
The development of mining and processing capabilities at the same location was an important feature of Jaduguda’s growth. Over the decades, the operation expanded beyond the mine itself to encompass geological exploration, mining, ore transportation, processing, engineering, radiation monitoring, environmental management and specialised human resources.
UCIL has also described Jaduguda as an important centre for developing technical expertise in mining, particularly uranium mining. The skills and experience accumulated over the years have contributed to the development of specialised capabilities associated with the nuclear fuel cycle.
The network has since expanded, with UCIL’s current operations including ore processing at plants at Jaduguda and Turamdih. The development reflects the gradual transformation of Jaduguda from an early uranium mining project into the nucleus of a wider industrial ecosystem supporting India’s nuclear programme.
The story of Jaduguda, however, is not only about technology and national energy requirements. It is also closely linked to the lives of the people who have lived and worked around the mining and industrial complex.
The mines have generated employment and contributed to the development of institutional infrastructure related to education, healthcare, transport and other services. At the same time, issues concerning local communities, land, the environment and public health have periodically remained part of the wider debate surrounding uranium mining.
Given the nature of uranium mining and processing, radiation protection and environmental monitoring remain important regulatory and operational considerations.
Six decades after the establishment of UCIL, the Jaduguda region therefore represents both an important chapter in India’s efforts to develop indigenous uranium resources and a continuing intersection of industrial development, scientific capability, national energy requirements and environmental responsibility.
UNI RS RSA
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