Hansen with the development of nuclear fission, a whole new industry has emerged complete with its problems of demand, resources, and supply. Niger is 4th in the world in terms of uranium production 2014 figures at 4,057 tonnes, and namibia weighs in at fifth place with 3,255 tonnes. Based on the current understanding of uranium deposits in the commonwealth of virginia, extraction of uranium ore would use openpit mining, or underground mining, or a combination of both. Its first commercial uranium mine began operating in 1976. Also, the questions who and how is affecting, as well. Russia is the fifth largest producer of uranium raw material in the world, president putin said. Ten years later, in 1976, rossing uranium, namibias first.
Russia, as a world leader in nuclear energy and nuclear fuel production, and namibia, as a major uranium producer, could establish close cooperation and become good partners. The husab mine, 90% owned by the china general nuclear power group, as well as the stake that the china national nuclear company bought in langer heinrich, represent well over 50% of local uranium production capacity. The significance of uranium and thorium concentrations in. There has been significant investment in uranium mining and namibia is set to become the largest exporter of uranium by 2015. An overview by brian bolton transport and general workers union uk organized by the american committee on africa 198 broadway new york, ny 10038 212 9621210 with the support of the united nations council for namibia multinational companies operating in naibia an overview. Wotan swiegers axel tibinyane voluntary sector initiatives underpinned by a regul atory safety net ensures leading practice and sustainable development in namibia s uranium province best practice. But it was not until rio tinto acquired exploration rights in the 1960s, that a number of lowgrade ore bodies were discovered along the north side of the rugged khan valley. Namibias husab uranium mine is the chinese governments. The duallisted firm is selling a 24% interest in langer heinrich to cnnc overseas uranium holdings and up to read more.
This is a significant achievement for both rossing uranium and namibia. International symposium on uranium raw material for the. Full production capacity, depending on world markets, can be achieved within a short period of time. An overview by brian bolton transport and general workers union uk. Namibia has a wellestablished uranium exploration and mining sector, and proudly looks back onto 4 decades of uranium mining. Chineseinvested uranium mine in namibia sets production. Marenica uranium project, namibia proactiveinvestors na. Almost all of our production is marketed through longterm contracts with a diverse selection of customers worldwide. After discovering numerous uranium occurrences, rio tinto secured the rights to the lowgrade rossing deposit in 1966. As such, the namibian uranium institute is working closely with the namibian government and state agencies, and also has close ties with the namibian university of science and technology. Uranium minerals were first recognized in the vicinity of todays rossing mine in 1928. There is strong namibian government support for expanding uranium mining and some interest in using nuclear power. Uranium for the hiroshima bomb, for example, came from the belgian congo. It contains official data provided by 34 countries and 8 national reports.
Other important uranium producing countries in excess of 1,000 tons per year are niger, russia. Uranium mini ng in n amibia is of considerable importance to the national economy. Namibia is a major uranium producer which is receiving much attention. On the other hand, an economic structure deeply reliant on mining is a weak point for namibia. Namibian uranium association namibian uranium association. Map of namibia indicating the spread of uranium exploration.
During any given year of the cold war, between 20 percent and 50 percent of the western worlds uranium came from african places. Pdf africa has been a significant world producer of uranium since 1945. It is the recognised world reference on uranium and is based on official information received from 43 countries. The worldwide production of uranium in 2015 amounted to 60,496 tonnes. Desalination and energy efficiency for a uranium mine in namibia. Presently, some 18% of the global supply of uranium comes from three african countries. T his chapter outlines the basic steps involved in mining, processing, and reclamation that might be suitable for uranium ore deposits in the commonwealth of virginia. Many african countries produce uranium or have untapped uranium ore deposits. Husab uranium project, namib desert, namibia mining. For uranium ore deposits, the choice of mining methods and processing options is very depositspecific and dependent on many variables such as the quality and quantity of the ore, the shape and depth of the ore deposit, site.
University of south florida scholar commons graduate theses and dissertations graduate school 6292016 a life cycle assessment of a uranium mine in. The namibian uranium institute namibian uranium association. A life cycle assessment of a uranium mine in namibia. Chineseinvested uranium mine in namibia sets production goal. Lessons from namibia, working papers on environmental sciences.
Although the focus of this publication remains uranium resources, production and. Russian firms sign memorandum to produce uranium in namibia vneshtorgbank vtb and techsnabexport have signed a memorandum of cooperation to invest in uranium prospecting and production in namibia. It is therefore clear that many uranium mines will be operating in namibia in the years to come. A brief history of the namibian uranium institute the socalled uranium rush some 10 years ago resulted in the establishment of the namibian uranium institute. Production is also projected to increase as the langer heinrich mine completes its third expansion phase. Simplified flow chart of uranium ore processing from mining to the production of concentrate. Martin pryor1 abstract water is a key component in the mining process. In 2018, namibia produced 10% of uranium worldwide, ranked as the 4th largest producer, behind kazakhstan, canada, and australia uranium is one of the six mineral resources that were declared strategic by the namibian government. With mines often located in remote, arid areas, having readily accessible water for both process requirements and regional drinking consumption is. Uranium mining an introduction page 7 1 uranium mining an introduction 1. May 06, 2019 almost all of our production is marketed through longterm contracts with a diverse selection of customers worldwide. April 28, 2017 africa, news, uranium comments off on etango to spur namibias uranium production.
Inconsistent water supplies from orano desalination plant are causing distress to mining companies in namibia. Oct 26, 2019 russia is the fifth largest producer of uranium raw material in the world, president putin said. Uranium mining in namibia namibian uranium association. The main purpose of the namibian uranium institute is to act as a communication hub for the uranium industry in namibia, and to promote knowledge and capacity building in specialised skills in the fields of environmental management, radiation safety and occupational health. Desalination and energy efficiency for a uranium mine in. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make namibia a primary source for gemquality diamonds. Uranium is one of the six mineral resources that were declared strategic by the namibian government. Spurred by special incentives in the early years, prospectors discovered over 20 000 occurrences of uranium in north america alone. Namibia is the worlds fourth largest producer of uranium oxide. Uranium miner paladin energy has warned shareholders of a delay in the completion of the sale of a 24% interest in the langer heinrich mine, in namibia, to a chinese company. Uranium, from mine to mill world nuclear association.
Ten years later, in 1976, rossing uranium, namibia s first. Uranium production is an important part of the african economy, with niger, namibia, libya and south africa creating up to 18% of the worlds annual production. To achieve this goal, analyses of regulatory, trade and production systems related to uranium production will be conducted. This expected trend may result in the planning of uranium exploration. Tectonic setting the commonly held view of the relationship in the central zone of the damara orogen between the neoproterozoic metasedimentary cover rocks and the underlying red granite gneiss in western namibia, was that. In total, world production of conventional resources of uranium from 1945 to 2016 is estimated at 3 million tonnes of uranium tu across more than thirty countries with canada 510,593 tu topping the list, followed by the united states 376,2 tu, kazakhstan 293,560 tu, germany 219,686 tu and australia 206,575 tu.
Published every other year, uranium resources, production, and demand, or the red book as it is commonly known, is jointly prepared by the oecd nuclear energy agency and the international atomic energy agency. Putin discusses russias interest in namibian uranium with. A joint report by the nuclear energy agency and the international atomic energy agency uranium 2016. This master thesis aims to clarify the implications of uranium mining in namibia and find out what the driving forces behind the current developments are.
These processes are commonly known as milling and the product uranium oxide concentrate is the raw material for making nuclear fuel. The namibian uranium institute therefore provides an opportunity for. The nations largest uranium mine is the rossing mine whose annual production of uranium oxide averages at about 4,000 tons which is derived from over 12 million tons of ore. Conventional in situ leach byproduct 41% 54% 5% world uranium production by mining method, 2010. The nuclear industry continues to fuel the demand for uranium, due mainly to chinas expansion. Kazakhstan, canada, and australia are the top three producers and together account for 70% of world uranium production.
Namibia is the fourth largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in africa and the worlds fourth largest producer of uranium. Namibia is the fourth largest producer of uranium in the world and, looking ahead, uranium is expected to overtake diamonds as the main export commodity, re. Invest in namibia harnessing investment to drive economic. As wocas uranium production is concentrated in a few countries, in 1986, australia, canada, south africa and usa had a combined share of nearly 70% of the total, a stronger diversification of uranium supplies may be desireable in the future. Mining legislation of malawi, namibia, south africa and. Investment into namibias uranium sector has largely been driven by china. In case of improved uranium market conditions, namibia is in a strong position to increase uranium production and open up new. Namibia has two significant uranium mines capable of providing 10% of world mining output. A hybrid geography of chinese investment in namibias uranium.
A number of known deposits are at an advanced exploration and early development stage, and await an improvement in the uranium market to become active contributors to the namibian economy. Uranium mining in namibia is of considerable importance to the national economy. Uranium primer uranium extraction methods uranium is found in mineral deposits worldwide, with over onehalf of the worlds uranium production today derived from mines located in canada, australia, and kazakhstan. Here is a look at a selection of countries on the african continent that have a history and future of uranium production. Uranium is mined in 20 countries and half the worlds production of uranium comes from just six, of which namibia is one. In 2018, namibia produced 10% of uranium worldwide, ranked as the 4th largest producer, behind kazakhstan, canada, and australia. In subsaharan africa, namibia, niger and south africa are among the tenlargest uranium resourceholders in the world wec, 20. However, according to ux consulting, isl mining capacities will.
Uranium production began in 1951, peaking in 1959 when 26 mines, feeding 17 plants, supplied 4,954 tu cole, 1998. The mineral was first discovered in namibia in the 1920s, but commercial production of uranium commenced in the 1970s. Uranium mining constitutes the first step of the nuclear fuel cycle and its used for military and civilian applications. Uranium was discovered in the namib desert in 1928, but it was not until intensive exploration in the late 1950s that much interest was shown in the area. Bannerman resources limited developers of etango mine have reported a successful first quarter positioning the company to improve namibias uranium sector outlook. Desalination and energy efficiency for a uranium mine in namibia authors. Rio tintos rossing uranium mine, in production since the mid 1970s, is the worlds thirdlargest uranium mine. Environmental and social aspects of uranium production with uranium production projected to expand, efforts are being made to develop safe mining practices and to continue to minimise environmental impacts. Uraniumbearing ores are mined by methods similar to those used for other metal ores. The nuclear chain starts with mining of uranium right here in namibia and. Pdf an analysis of water management practices in uranium. Namibias husab uranium project is owned by swakop uranium, a subsidiary of taurus minerals. Taurus minerals itself is a subsidiary of china guangdong nuclear power. Analysts estimate that uranium reserves across africa encompass some 888k tonnes.
In situ leaching isl is the main uranium mining method in use today. Martin pryor1, borja blanco,2 joan galtes3 presenter. Windhoek the husab uranium mine in namibia, one of chinas biggest single investment in africa, will target production of 15 million pounds of u3o8 per year. The effects of the global uranium rush in namibia mit. Its share of the worlds total production has increased from 20% in 2005 to 50% in 2016 and 2017. Uranium mining is the forgotten first step in the production chain of nuclear power. Namibia in the khan river gorge, the rossing dome and at the uranium mine. This page provides namibia exports actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news. Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. Exploration, mining, production, supply and demand. These general terms incorporate a large variety of design possibilitiesthere are as many methods of mining uranium as there are orebody sizes. Today, there is a renewed uranium boom throughout the continent. The governmentcontrolled bank and the staterun nuclear exporter are considering the establishment of a joint venture to operate in the southern.
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