The Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL) on July 26 said that deposits of uranium were recently discovered at a place between Jadugora and Narwapahar mine areas in Jharkhand's East Singhbhum district. Pinaki Roy, UCIL's Executive Director (Project East) and Corporate Communication said that the uranium reserves were detected between UCIL's existing uranium mines at Jadugora and Narwapahar, about 15 km from Jamshedpur.

The findings will certainly expand the life of country's first uranium mine in Jadugora (established in 1967 at about 23 km from Jamshedpur), by at least five to six years. The finding was made in the vicinity of mines in operation.

The UCIL has seven uranium mines -- Jadugora, Bhatin, Turamdih, Bagjata, Narwapahar, Banduhurang and Mahuldih - in operation in Jharkhand, with production in Bhatin recently being stopped due to some development work in the mine, UCIL sources said. The Jadugora and Narwaphar mine has a monthly production capacity of 25,000 tonne uranium ore each, the sources added.