Domestic Uranium Production Report – Annual

Mining, production, shipments, and sales U.S. uranium mines produced 0.7 million pounds of triuranium octoxide (U3O8), or uranium concentrate [1], in 2018, 37% less than in 2017. The production of uranium concentrate is the first step in the nuclear fuel production process, preceding the conversion of U3O8 into UF6, to enable uranium enrichment, then fuel pellet …

Mines: the closure of Cominak, a subsidiary of Orano, confirmed by Minister Barazé

Last February, Actuniger reported that the French multinational Orano, formerly Areva, was seriously considering the closure of the Akouta Mining Company (Cominak), one of its two subsidiaries in Niger. The scenario is becoming more and more precise with the release, on Saturday, May 11th in Parliament, the Minister of Mines, Hassane Barazé. Responding to a …

Uranium sector not out of the woods yet

URANIUM producers will need to keep their costs down in an overly saturated market, as the industry still faces tough times. While demand for uranium is expected to grow in the long run, the rate of growth remains uncertain due to its over-reliance on China’s nuclear building plans. This is what Rössing Uranium’s managing director, …

Selling Rössing to the Chinese may keep mine open beyond 2025

Rössing Uranium Ltd will start with a detailed pre-feasibility this year in anticipation of the mine’s end-of-life which is planned for 2025. However, a sales process, currently underway, may throw this mine a lifeline taking its productive life beyond the looming deadline. Launching the mine’s annual stakeholder report this week, Rössing Uranium’s new Managing Director, …

Cameco Gets Environmental Approval for Australian Uranium Project

Uranium miner Cameco (TSX:CCO,NYSE:CCJ) received an important approval from the Australian Federal Department of Environment and Energy last week to advance the Yeelirrie uranium site. Located in the remote Northern Goldfields region of Western Australia, Yeelirrie is one the country’s largest undeveloped uranium deposits. Cameco acquired the project in 2012 from BHP (ASX:BHP,NYSE:BBL,LSE:BHP) and was …

‘We may scale up supply of uranium to India’: Kazakhstan ambassador Bulat Sarsenbayev

Kazakhstan, the world’s largest producer of uranium, is looking at scaling up its supply of the key energy source to India from 5,000 tonnes during 2015-19 to more than 7,500 tonnes over the next five years, Kazakh ambassador Bulat Sarsenbayev said on Wednesday. The Central Asian nation, with the second largest uranium reserves or almost …

India, Kazakhstan in talks to renew deal with higher Uranium imports

Kazakhstan, world’s largest producer of uranium, is planning to increase the quantum of its India-bound supplies to 7,500-10,000 tonnes for a five-year period starting 2019 from 5,000 tonnes at present. The previous five-year pact for uranium supply signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the country will lapse this year and the two sides …

Uranium Exploration in Canada: The Athabasca Basin

The world’s energy future could mean very good things for Canadian uranium exploration. As countries around the world seek to increase energy capacity without raising carbon emissions, governments in developed and developing nations alike are turning back to nuclear power. As of February 2019, there were about 50 nuclear reactors under construction around the world. …