A Parliamentary Committee on Public Undertakings has found that planned expansion of India's nuclear fleet will raise uranium requirements, with pressurised heavy water reactors expected to need about 5,400 tonnes (t) of uranium oxide annually. The committee noted domestic production currently satisfies about 30 per cent of that baseline and urged faster expansion of mining and production to secure fuel supply. The Nuclear Fuel Complex assembles fuel for these reactors using uranium concentrate supplied by the Uranium Corporation of India Limited or through imports under government oversight.

Imports currently come from Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Canada, and a long-term supply contract with Uzbekistan runs until 2026. The committee said a proposed joint venture between the Uranium Corporation of India Limited and NTPC to acquire overseas uranium stakes could help stabilise fuel costs but asked the Department of Atomic Energy for clearer timelines and a detailed plan. It also sought a framework to involve mine developer-cum-operators in domestic production.

The committee emphasised the need to establish strategic uranium stockpiles calibrated to refuelling cycles and outage risks to protect reactor operations against supply disruptions. The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research has established around 0.431 million (mn) tonnes (t) of uranium oxide, and the report noted that of 80,423 tonnes transferred to the Uranium Corporation of India Limited about 39.22 per cent has already been depleted. The document observed that at current production rates the remaining reserves could last around 40 years if no new resources are added.

In response the Department of Atomic Energy said the Uranium Corporation of India Limited plans to double production by expanding existing mine capacity and developing projects in Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited operates 25 reactors with an installed capacity of 8,780 megawatt (MW) and has 17 reactors totalling 13,100 MW under execution; the government aims for 100 gigawatt (GW) by 2047 with NPCIL expected to provide nearly half of that capacity. The committee urged that securing domestic and overseas supplies be aligned with capacity targets.