The most important use of nuclear energy is to generate electricity. Three per cent of the energy produced in India is obtained from nuclear reactors. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is the centre for research and development work in field of atomic energy of India. At present, there are four nuclear power stations in India. These are:
- Tarapur atomic power station at Tarapur in Maharashtra.
- Rajasthan atomic power station near Kota in Rajasthan.
- Madras atomic power station at Kalpakkam in Tamilnadu.
- Narora atomic power station in Utter Pradesh.
India’s uranium comes mainly from the Jaduguda mines in Bihar. The uranium ore is processed and enriched at the Nuclear Fuel Complex at Hyderabad.
Heavy water, which is used as moderator and coolant in nuclear reactors, is produced at Nangal in Punjab.