News

Minatom to increase uranium mining

Publish date: May 13, 2003

Russia is to increase uranium mining during next 10-12 years, nuclear.ru was informed by the Minatom's press service.

The increase will be from 3 to 6 thousand tons a year. Minatom had given those numbers at April 18 round-table in the Russian Federal Council devoted to “Natural Resources and Alternative Nuclear Power Development”. Deputy Minister of Atomic Energy Mikhail Solonin told nuclear.ru Russia is not to face uranium shortage up to 2030 provided balanced export-import policies ensured. While saying that Deputy Minister Solonin noted that next 10-12 years the Russia’s uranium demand, including export, will grow up to 17,000 tons a year. Russia’s present uranium export needs which include fuel for NPPs, enriched uranium and HEU blendstock are about 10,000 tons per year. The country mines annually about 3,000 tons of natural uranium. According to Minatom of Russia, the total surveyed uranium stockpiles in the world are 3.5 million tons. Annually the world mines 32,000-37,000 tons of uranium with the demand of about 60,000 tons. Australia, Kazakhstan and Canada are the leaders in the uranium stockpiles while Russia is on the 7th place. The total surveyed uranium stocks in Russia are presently 165,000 tons self-cost less than 80 US dollars per kg; still this includes 56,000 tons which self-cost less than 40 US dollars per kilogram.