"We are moving very aggressively on uranium. We are looking at new reserves. We want the reserves to be augmented twofold in the next five years," Kakodkar told reporters after receiving the 'Raja Ram Mohan Puraskar, 2007' from the Ram Mohan Mission in Kolkata.
He said the exploration would be done with technology developed by the Bhaba Atomic Research Centre. India's confirmed uranium reserve currently is now 78,000 tonne and it requires 1,00,000 tonne in the near future to sustain the growth of nuclear power projects.
There was a huge potential in n-power generation and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India, now being expanded, was capable of producing 1,000 MW on its own.
"But that would require a lot of adjustment on acts and policies," he said. Paper work for amendment to the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, was now on and the matter would be placed before Parliament as soon as possible for a decision, he said.
According to Kakodkar, the country's first Fast Breeder Reactor would be ready by 2011.
Strongly advocating reactor fuel recycling despite objections by the US, he said the process cuts down fuel wastes to a negligible level, besides enabling upto 80 times of energy generation out of the same fuel.
"I would expect the US to agree to it. The July 18, 2006, agreement says this could be negotiated," he said.
