The atomic mineral directorate, which carried out a survey for atomic minerals in the state, has found traces of uranium in Sundergarh, Sambalpur, Bargarh, Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur districts.
According to the survey report, uranium has been found in at least 19 locations in Sundergarh and 12 in Sambalpur district. Uranium reserves have also been traced at four places in Bargarh district, two in Jharsuguda district and in one each in Deogarh, Kalahandi, Mayurbhanj and Jajpur.
?There is a huge possibility that uranium would be available at a commercial scale in Sundergarh and Sambalpur districts,? state steel & mines minister Pradip Amata said. According to him, Orissa could emerge as a potential area for uranium exploration after Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Uranium, a heavy silvery-white metallic element that is radioactive, toxic and easily oxidised, occurs in several minerals, including uraninite and carnotite, from which it is extracted and processed for use in research, nuclear fuels and nuclear weapons.