India’s civil nuclear programme is getting an important boost from a development with Uzbekistan, as New Delhi moves towards a long-term arrangement for uranium supplies from one of the world’s major producers. This is the second major deal for uranium that India has sealed in less than two months – the earlier one being with Australia in July during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.
The timing matters. India is planning a major expansion of nuclear power, with an ambition to take installed capacity from around 8.8 GW today to 100 GW by 2047. That expansion will need new reactors, investment and technology, but it will also need something far more basic: a dependable supply of nuclear fuel.
Uzbekistan is well placed to become an important part of that supply chain. It produced around 4,000 tonnes of uranium in 2024, putting it among the world’s leading uranium producers. Its uranium resources are also significant. World Nuclear Association data based on the 2024 Red Book puts Uzbekistan’s reasonably assured recoverable resources at around 40,200 tonnes, with another 49,220 tonnes classified as inferred recoverable resources. Separately, Uzbekistan’s state uranium company Navoiyuran has announced JORC-compliant reserves of 96,600 tonnes.
