Context: The Ministry of Mines, in coordination with the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), have notified the Offshore Area Atomic Minerals Concession Rules, 2025. The new rules seek to regulate offshore atomic mineral mining for energy security and strategic control.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: About Offshore Area Atomic Minerals Concession Rules, 2025.
Offshore Area Atomic Minerals Concession Rules 2025
- Purpose: To regulate the award of exploration licences and production leases for atomic minerals such as Uranium, Thorium, and other radioactive elements in the country’s offshore areas, including its territorial waters and exclusive economic zones (EEZs)
- Nodal Authority: The DAE and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board will serve as the nodal oversight agencies, ensuring compliance with radiological safety and strategic protocols.
Key Highlights: Offshore Area Atomic Minerals Concession Rules 2025
- Only Central Government Agencies, State-owned enterprises, or government-nominated companies can be awarded composite licences or mining leases.
- Foreign firms barred from exploration activities unless subcontracted under highly-restrictive guidelines, and only with prior security clearance from Ministries, including Defence, Home and Environment.
- Exploration will be allowed without a licence, but only for notified government agencies.
- Any later discovery of Atomic Minerals above threshold grades, as defined in alignment with the Atomic Mineral Concession Rules, 2016, must be reported to the Directorate of Atomic Minerals Exploration and Research. Upon reporting a significant discovery, the government may immediately reserve the block for National use.
- The government reserves the right to revoke or deny licences if discoveries are deemed strategically sensitive or exceed the threshold grade. The Central Government can directly acquire such sites if needed for strategic reasons.
- Explorers may be compensated only for actual expenses incurred, discouraging speculative private activity.
