Consider the following statements:
- Statement-I: India, 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?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
Coal generates well over two-thirds of India's electricity even though the country has uranium ores, so Statement-I is right. Statement-II is wrong: India's heavy water reactors burn natural (unenriched) uranium and its light water reactors use only low-enriched uranium, nowhere near 60%.
- ✓ Statement-I Uranium occurs in India, for example in the Dharwar rocks and along the Singhbhum copper belt, but coal-fired plants still supply more than 70% of the electricity generated in the country.
- ✗ Statement-II Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, the backbone of India's nuclear power, are fuelled by natural uranium, and Light Water Reactors by low-enriched uranium. Enrichment of 60% or more is not needed to produce electricity.
Remember · Coal: about 70–74% of India's electricity. PHWRs run on natural uranium; LWRs on low-enriched uranium. Power generation does not need highly enriched uranium.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 12 India: People and Economy, Ch 5 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- PIB (Ministry of Coal), India's Coal Boom ↗ “The coal sector remains a crucial contributor to India’s energy mix, powering over 74% of the country’s electricity and sustaining key industries like steel and cement.”
- PIB (Department of Atomic Energy), reactor fuel requirements ↗ “The Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) are fuelled by Natural Uranium while Light Water Reactors (LWRs) are fuelled by Low Enriched Uranium.”
- NCERT Class 12 · India: People and Economy, Chapter 5 “Important minerals used for the generation of nuclear energy are uranium and thorium. Uranium deposits occur in the Dharwar rocks.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·