There is a need to develop more uranium mines globally to meet the current and future global demand for uranium as a major source of fuel for commercial nuclear power needs, says engineering and project delivery company Amec Minproc business development executive Liam Cafferty.
The World Nuclear Association’s (WNA’s) ‘Global Nuclear Fuel Market Supply and Demand 2009–2030’ report points out that new uranium mines take many years to plan and license before they start production. The same is true, to some extent, for new conversion, enrichment and fuel-fabrication facilities, the report notes.
It further states: “Heavy reliance on secondary sources of uranium supply over recent years has resulted in supply infra- strbrick crushers for sale australiaucture becoming somewhat neglected and also potentially vulnerable to supply disruptions. This damage must be repaired.”
Cafferty notes that enriched uranium from secondary sources will not be an adequate supply source. “This has increased demand, which has almost doubled the price of uranium in the past year. “A year ago, prices were about $42/lb and have increased to about $74/lb,” he adds.
In 2009, Africa producstone crusher machine from chinaed 5 293 t of the 50 772 t of uranium produced globally, the WNA reports. Cafferty believes that there is much potential to increase production through new uranium mines, mainly in Namibia, Botswana, Central Africa, Kenya and Tanzania.
“The current and future demand for uranium has driven the price upward and, if the price is sustainable at current pricing levels, or there is upside potential, the appetite for developing uraniumfactory of limestone crusher production will remain strong,” Cafferty says.
He adds that another advantage is that many of the lower grades of uranium are becoming viable. “There is a lot more uranium available in the ground that could lead to new mining operations if the price is sustained above $70/lb to $75/lb,” explains Cafferty.
However, the current demand for uranium excludes planned nuclear power plants, which will increase demand even further but are nosmall scale stone crusher machinest being considered in the current uranium supply chain plan, says Cafferty.
The global demand for uranium will be driven by the need for fuel for both existing and future nuclear power station needs, he says.
This is echoed by the WNA, which points to 158 new nuclear reactors planned or on order, globally, and a further 322 new nuclear reactors being proposed. March figures provided by the association are part of specific plancopper mining jaw crushers and proposals expected to be operating by 2030.
Most of the reactors on order or planned are in the Asian region, though there are major plans for new units in Europe, the US and Russia.
The total uranium requirement for 2011 alone is 68 971 t. Power plants will consume a certain amount of uranium each year depending on the kilowatt capacity of the plant, and there needs to be security of supply for uranium, Cafferty believes.
Meanwhile, Cafferty says, Amec has capa- bilities in the development of uranium resources, ranging in services from geological assistance and exploration, including geotechnical and hydrological aspects, through mine and plant design and development to tailings management. The company has also assisted clients with waste handling and the disposal of spent fuels.
“The Johannesburg office, in particular, has been involved in eight uranium projects, all in Africa. Our scope in these projects was study or implementation work for the process plant and associated infrastructure,” concludes Cafferty.