Consider the following statements: 1) Statement-I: India, despite having uranium deposits, depends on coal for most of its electricity production. 2) Statement-II: Uranium, enriched to the extent at of least 60%, is required for the production of electricity. [2023]

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 at of least 60%, is required for the production of electricity.

Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is the correct explanation for Statement-I
Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II is not the correct explanation for Statement-1
Statement-I is correct but Statement-II is incorrect
Statement-I is incorrect but Statement-II is correct

India does have significant uranium deposits, but it still relies heavily on coal for electricity production due to several factors. Coal continues to play a central role in India’s energy landscape, contributing 55% to the national energy mix and fuelling over 74% of total power generation, according to the Economic Survey.

Uranium Enrichment: When uranium is mined, it consists of approximately 99.3% uranium-238 (U238), 0.7% uranium-235 (U235), and < 0.01% uranium-234 (U234). Only the U-235 isotope (0.7%) is fissionable. The remaining 99.3% is mostly the U-238 isotope, which does not contribute directly to the fission process. However, it is possible to increase or enrich the percentage of U-235.
- Methods used for Enrichment: The Gaseous Diffusion process, Gas centrifuge enrichment process and laser separation technology.
- Low-enriched uranium (LEU): Uranium enriched to less than 20% U-235. (That in power reactors is usually 3.5 – 5.0% U-235.)
- High-enriched uranium (HEU): Uranium enriched to 20% U-235 or more.
- For nuclear weapons, Uranium enriched to at least 90% U-235.

Statement II can be easily identified as wrong because the percentage mentioned is clearly exaggerated and can be identified using basic understanding of the topic. Nuclear power plants use low-enriched uranium (~3–5%), not 60% enrichment, which is closer to weapons-grade levels. Hence, Statement II is incorrect.