The uranium files

Afghan ministry denies evidence of depleted uranium
The Afghan Public Health Ministry denied on Sunday a media report that there was evidence of nuclear contamination in the Tora Bora mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
The radio report said the ministry was investigating claims the Tora Bora mountains had been contaminated with radioactive material, the ministry said in a statement.

"The Public Health Ministry, so far, has no information from any official source about the presence of nuclear contamination in Tora Bora and has launched no investigation about it. The ministry even has no plan for such an investigation."

The Tora Bora mountains in the east of Afghanistan were heavily bombed by U.S. planes in late 2001 targeting al Qaeda leaders believed to be sheltering in caves there.

The radio report followed a report by Reuters quoting Afghan deputy public health minister for technical affairs Faizullah Kakar saying the ministry would study whether levels of depleted uranium were higher than normal in the environment after the 2001 war. But Kakar made no reference to Tora Bora.


UAE vows to import enriched uranium for any reactor
The United Arab Emirates said on Sunday that it will import enriched uranium for any reactor it builds as it sought to distance itself from the more controversial aspects of nearby Iran's nuclear programme.

The UAE will apply "complete operational transparency" and closely coordinate with the International Atomic Energy Agency if it goes ahead with the development of a civil nuclear programme, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan said.

The oil-rich Gulf state will abide by "the highest standards of non-proliferation ... (and) safety and security" and will also cooperate with the "governments and firms of responsible nuclear supplier nations," the official WAM news agency quoted him as saying.

"In an effort to limit the danger of proliferation, the UAE government has also adopted a policy renouncing the development of any domestic enrichment or reprocessing capabilities in favour of long-term arrangements for the external supply of nuclear fuel," Sheikh Abdullah said.

The Emirati chief diplomat made his remarks to mark the launch of a white paper on "the policy of the United Arab Emirates on the evaluation and potential development of peaceful nuclear energy."


Zambia: Minister Welcomes Uranium Explorations
Government says the ongoing uranium mining exploration project in Southern Province is in line with its diversification of the mining industry in the country.

Mines and Minerals Development Minister, Kalombo Mwansa, said the Kariba uranium project which was still at exploration level was a fulfillment of Government's vision to establish mining activities across the country.

Dr Mwansa said this yesterday during the tour of the Muntanga and Dibwe uranium exploration projects by Omega Minerals Limited and Denison Mines in Southern Province.

He noted that uranium was a mineral that could enhance the country's future power supply as an alternative source of energy to hydro-electric power.


New Mexico Navajo Fight Uranium Mine Approval
Navajo communities in New Mexico are challenging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's approval of a source materials license for an in situ leach uranium mine in federal court. Oral arguments are scheduled for May 12.

The Navajo communities of Crownpoint and Church Rock, New Mexico, with the assistance of the New Mexico Environmental Law Center, Eastern Navajo Dine against Uranium Mining, and Southwest Research and Information Center, will fight the NRC and Hydro Resources, Inc., demanding that they stay off Navajo lands in New Mexico.

Representatives from the Law Center will address a panel of federal judges in Denver asking that the NRC decision to allow mining be set aside.

"The importance of our hearing on May 12 cannot be overstated," said Eric Jantz, Law Center attorney. "We are talking about the land, water, air, and health of two whole communities. There are people on this land grazing their cattle and hauling their daily drinking water." 

As the price of uranium has increased during the past seven years, rising from $7/lb to $68/lb., the state of New Mexico has seen a dramatic rise in the number of exploratory permits requested by mining companies during the past year, with a dozen applications currently under review.

Hydro Resources, Inc. has four proposed mines in the Church Rock-Crownpoint region. In 2006, the NRC approved the license for all four sites. The Law Center filed a lawsuit in 2007 against the NRC to overturn the license, arguing that the commission violated the Atomic Energy Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and its own regulations when it issued decisions on numerous issues. On behalf of its clients, the Law Center is appealing the following points:

• Hydro Resources failed to prove that it will protect groundwater from contamination by uranium and other toxic heavy metals.
• The company failed to ensure that the health of residents near the mines would be protected from damaging radioactive air emissions.
• Hydro Resources' proposed financial bond for the site is inadequate to ensure that the site(s) would be cleaned up in the event that the company is unable to undertake reclamation of the land and/or water impacted by the mining.

Locals protest uranium mining development
A group of Alice Springs residents have rallied over the weekend against potential uranium mining of the south of town.

In a symbolic move about 30 people shared yellow sponge cake and raised concerns about the two uranium deposits, Angela and Pamela, which have been licensed for exploration.

Concerned residents say that the public can't be short-sighted about the effects that uranium mining could have on the area.

"I think it is tempting to only see the economic benefits and that's a short term vision and I think that we should be about long term vision," she said.

"The idea of mining is big amount of money in short amount of time. I am concerned about the possible effects of the amount of water that is required for the uranium mine, also contamination of the water catchment area for Alice Springs."

"There are risks involved in uranium mining, risks for the workers, for the local people, risks with transportation. There are untold risks."

Uranium Holding May Spend $8.6 Billion in Russia
Uranium Holding ARMZ, Russia's state-owned mining company, may spend $8.6 billion to triple output with help from billionaire Oleg Deripaska, Canada's Cameco Corp. and Japan's Mitsui & Co. Ltd.

ARMZ, as the company is known, will use the money to produce 10,300 metric tons of uranium annually by 2015, equal to 25 percent of the global total last year, Chief Executive Officer Vadim Zhivov said. The company will raise the cash in part through stock and bond sales, he said.

Russia wants 25 percent of its electricity to come from nuclear power by 2030, up from 16 percent now. That'll require new mines because Russia now extracts less than a third of the uranium used by its 31 existing reactors and depends on shrinking stockpiles for the rest.

``Initially, we'd like to have strategic partnerships that would help us access new markets,'' Zhivov said in an April 21 interview in Moscow.

Petr Liden, a spokesman for the energy division of Basic Element, Deripaska's investment company, declined to comment, as did Tatsunari Asada, a spokesman for Mitsui in Tokyo.

Cameco agreed last November to form exploration ventures in Russia and Canada, updating an earlier accord with Tenex, the trading arm of Rosatom Corp., ARMZ's parent. Cameco will continue to ``pursue future ventures in uranium exploration, development and production'' with the Russians, Lyle Krahn, a spokesman for the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan-based company, said in a statement.

No uranium mining to take place in B.C.
North Thompson Valley residents can breath a sigh of relief after Minister of State for Mining Kevin Krueger made an announcement last Thursday regarding uranium mining in British Columbia.

Krueger stated the Province will not support the exploration and development of uranium in British Columbia and is establishing a "no registration reserve" under the Mineral Tenure Act for uranium and thorium.

"By confirming our position on these radioactive minerals, we are providing certainty and clarity to the mining industry," said Krueger. "B.C. is an attractive place for mining exploration and investment, and we are committed to fostering a healthy, productive industry."

The "no registration reserve" will ensure any future claims do not include the rights to uranium.

Government will also ensure that all uranium deposits will remain undeveloped.

Uranium Market Glowing Green
From copper to gold, from oil to natural gas, prices for the earth's riches have skyrocketed in the past few years as emerging markets added vast demand and speculators revved up markets in ways never seen before.

But one commodity trumped them all: uranium. For decades, the trade belonged to a handful of insiders who kept prices level and deals quiet. All the key players could fit in a single Starbucks. Not anymore.

The world's insatiable thirst for new energy supplies has fueled a quiet resurgence of interest in nuclear energy, and the market is changing fast. New entrants are now knocking elbows with entrenched insiders for influence over the future of nuclear fuel and the market where it is bought and sold.

The predictable result: The price of uranium exploded, peaking at a price of somewhere between $136 and $138 a pound, a stunning 1,365% rise from the early '90s, when uranium prices fell below $10. That outpaced even gold, which rose 400% during that time. But since prices dipped to more modest levels this year, investors are calling for change in the uranium game. The fact that there isn't even agreement on pricing shows how immature the market remains.


Uranium Price Slump Unlikely to Extend Further
International prices for uranium have halved since their record highs last year, due mainly to an international market surplus, but the slump is unlikely to extend further, an industry expert told Interfax today.

The expert, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that the average international spot price for U3O8 uranium concentrate, or yellowcake, currently stands at $60 per pound. By comparison, U308 was selling for a record $138 per pound on the spot market in June 2007.

International uranium prices started to rise in 2004, the expert said, on the back of a revitalized nuclear power movement and predictions by uranium producers that China and India would become huge uranium consumers. To meet this anticipated demand, uranium producers expanded production capacity.

However, China and India are mostly self-sufficient in uranium at the present time. "According to World Nuclear Association (WNA) statistics, China consumed 1,300 tonnes of U3O8 last year. The country's domestic outputis about the same," he said.

The expert attributed the uranium price slump to suppliers overestimating market demand. "Supplies are at least 50% higher than demand at the moment."

He said he does not believe that the price slump will extend much further though. Some large uranium suppliers have warned of shortages of materials used in uranium exploitation, such sulphuric acid, water and electricity, and that such shortages may have an impact on their output.


Depleted Uranium Shells Used by U.S. Military Worse Than Nuclear Weapons
The use of depleted uranium (DU) munitions by the U.S. military may lead to a death toll far higher than that from the nuclear bombs dropped at the end of World War II.

DU is a waste product of uranium enrichment, containing approximately one-third the radioactive isotopes of naturally occurring uranium. Because of its high density, it is used in armor- or tank-piercing ammunition. It has been fired by the U.S. and British militaries in the two Iraq wars and in Afghanistan, as well as by NATO forces in Kosovo and the Israeli military in Lebanon and Palestine.

Inhaled or ingested DU particles are highly toxic, and DU has been classified as an illegal weapon of mass destruction by the United Nations.

The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has estimated that 50 tons of DU dust from the first Gulf War could lead to 500,000 cancer deaths by the year 2000. To date, a total of 2,000 tons have been generated in the Middle East.

In contrast, approximately 250,000 lives were claimed by the explosions and radiation released by the nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

"More than ten times the amount of radiation released during atmospheric testing [of nuclear bombs] has been released from DU weaponry since 1991," said Leuren Moret, a U.S. nuclear scientist. "The genetic future of the Iraqi people, for the most part, is destroyed. The environment now is completely radioactive."

Because DU has a half-life of 4.5 billion years, the Middle East will, for all practical purposes, be radioactive forever.

The two U.S. wars in Iraq "have been nuclear wars because they have scattered nuclear material across the land, and people, particularly children, are condemned to die of malignancy and congenital disease essentially for eternity," said anti-nuclear activist Helen Caldicott.

Since the first Gulf War, the rate of birth defects and childhood cancer in Iraq has increased by seven times. More than 35 percent (251,000) of U.S. Gulf War veterans are dead or on permanent medical disability, compared with only 400 who were killed during the conflict.


No decision on uranium mines
The Meghalaya government has clarified that no decision has been taken on uranium mining in the state, despite the Union minister of state for power, Jairam Ramesh's claim that it was in favour of a nuclear plant.

At a recent seminar, Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) officials claimed that the state was ready to go ahead with uranium mining. However, chief minister Donkupar Roy said the people were still debating on the merits and demerits of uranium mining and no government could go ahead with the mining unless the people of the state were convinced.

"As of now, no decision had been taken on uranium mining. There should be a consensus within the government and it has to be proved to the people that there are no health hazards involved in uranium mining," the chief minister told this correspondent.

The deputy chief minister and Hill State Peoples' Democratic Party (HSPDP) president, H.S. Lyngdoh, who is from West Khasi Hills, has been very vocal against uranium mining in the district.

In his recent meeting with Ramesh, Lyngdoh said the present Meghalaya Progressive Alliance (MPA) government would not allow uranium mining.

Other coalition partners in the government, the United Democratic Party (UDP), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) had also opposed uranium mining in the state during the election campaign. 


RAPP unit hit by uranium shortage
The shortage of nuclear fuel is having a telling effect on the functioning of major nuclear stations in the country, with a majority of them operating at a low load factor.
The latest casualty is Unit V of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant (RAPP), the commissioning of which has been delayed for almost a year now.

This has been elaborated in the latest report submitted by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to the Power Ministry on the working of the nuclear as well as thermal stations in the country and their electricity generation.

"There are delays in the commissioning of the RAPP due to shortage of fuel. The plant was scheduled to commence operations late last year, but now has been deferred for a few months," Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh told The Hindu.

According to the CEA status report, the nuclear stations operated at a low load factor of 43.61 per cent, compared to the target load factor of 47.7 per cent, mainly on account of lower availability of nuclear fuel.

"The commissioning of Unit V RAPP is expected to be delayed further till September this year on account of non-availability of fuel, though the reactor and other components are ready for commissioning," the report stated.

Another startling fact that has come to light in the CEA report is that considerable delays have taken place in achieving the Commercial Operation Date (COD) of projects with a total installation of 3,330 MW which were commissioned during 2007-08. Sipat Unit IV, Mejia Unit VI and Bellary Unit I which were commissioned during the year did not generate any energy.


Namibia's chamber of mines takes lead in monitoring uranium mining
The Chamber of Mines in uranium-rich Namibia has taken the lead in responding to the over 30-year absence of adequate legislation to effectively deal with radiation protection, occupational health, and environmental management.

This week opened with the Chamber of Mines in Namibia celebrating the establishment last week of a Uranium Stewardship Committee (USC), which it told Mineweb was also in response to the country's rapidly growing uranium industry and the world's demand for uranium "in the generation of clean energy".

"The establishment of the Uranium Stewardship Committee was done in line with the recently published World Nuclear Association's stewardship principles which advocates for collective responsibility and commitment by all players to the safe and responsible management of the uranium product," said Dr Wotan Swiegers, a medical doctor who is the committee's principal adviser.

The USC has set up office in the coastal town of Swakopmund, the epicentre of the country's uranium boom to develop minimum standards for environmental health and environmental management for uranium mines and to assist with a Regional Strategic Environmental Management Plan.

This is being done with participation of public and private stakeholders and also in conjunction with the Southern African Institute for Environmental Assessment, the World Nuclear Association and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The committee's primary mandate is to ensure that the country's booming uranium mining sector is able to expand and thrive safely and efficiently in an environment of "policy certainty with a stable investment climate, fit-for-purpose regulatory and compliance arrangements based on the scientific and physical properties of uranium".