France has shipped the first consignment of 60 tons of uranium ore concentrate to India, the first by that country since New Delhi got a special waiver from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) last year, reports say.
The uranium ore, which arrived at the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) in Hyderabad,capital of the south-central Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, will be processed and used to produce power in safeguarded pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs).
India and France entered into bilateral co-operation for supplying reactors and fuel following the wrapping-up of the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, signing of the 123-agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and clearance by NSG to enable New Delhi to resume nuclear commerce with the rest of the world.
The Indian Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) entered into a contract February with French Nuclear supplier AREVA NC for the supply of 300 tons of uranium ore concentrate; of them, 60 tons were shipped as the first consignment and received by the NFC.
The fuel will be processed in the designated fuel plants at the NFC by converting uranium ore concentrate into nuclear- grade uranium dioxide powder and compacted into cylindrical pellets. The pellets will then be stacked and encapsulated in thin walled tubes of zirconium alloy, which will be sealed by resistance-welding using end-plugs, a technology which has been innovated in India.
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April 24, 2026 15:15 ET Economics news flow was relatively light this week even as the conflict in the Middle East continued, raising concerns for policymakers. In the U.S., spending data, initial jobless claims and pending home sales were the highlights. Business confidence in the biggest euro area economy was in focus in Europe. Inflation data from Japan gained attention in Asia.