Q. Consider the following statements:
Statement-IIndia, despite having Uranium deposits, depends on coal for most of its electricity production.
Statement-II:Uranium, enriched to the extent of at least 60%, is required for the production of electricity.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements
Statement I is correct. Both conventional (thermal, nuclear, and hydro) and renewable (wind, solar, biomass, etc.) energy sources are used to produce electricity in India. However, the majority of electricity is produced by coal-fired thermal power plants, which provide about 58% of the total electricity. In the year 2021–2022, approximately 3.15 per cent of the nation’s electricity was generated using nuclear energy.
Statement II is incorrect.
Uranium enrichment of U235 isotope 3 to 5 percent is required for electricity generation. Research reactors use uranium that has been highly enriched to a concentration of at least 20%. At least 90% enriched Uranium is considered as weapons grade uranium.
Source: https://coal.nic.in/en/major-statistics/generation-of-thermal-power-from-raw-coal
https://inis.iaea.org/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/09/376/9376805.pdf
https://dae.gov.in/writereaddata/lsusq660.pdf
https://www.nrc.gov/materials/fuel-cycle-fac/ur-enrichment.html
