[Uranium] Ressources, production et consommation mondiale

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Un nouveau prospect d'Uranium au Canada : Kenora

Madison Metals Signs Option Agreement for Kenora Uranium Project in Canada
By NS Energy Staff Writer 18 May 2023

https://www.nsenergybusiness.com/news/m ... in-canada/

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Visualizing the uranium mining industry in 3 charts

Visual Capitalist | May 30, 2023 |

en entier : https://www.mining.com/web/visualizing- ... -3-charts/

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suite de ce post du 7 mai 2023 viewtopic.php?f=44&t=174&p=2368841&hili ... m#p2368841

Next Gen raises$110mfor Rook uraniumproject

1ST SEPTEMBER 2023 BY: MARIAAN WEBB -

Canadian junior NexGen Energy has announced $110- million of financing for the Rook I uranium mine and mill development project in Saskatchewan.
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The 2021 feasibility study outlines an11-year mine capable of producing 29-million pounds a year of uranium oxide in the first five years, making it the biggest uranium mine in the world.

https://www.miningweekly.com/print-vers ... 2023-09-01

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La demande en uranium pour un usage combustible devrait bondir de 28% d'ici 2030-ANM

Reuters 7 sept 2023

La demande en uranium à des fins d'exploitation dans les réacteurs nucléaires devrait connaître une hausse de 28% d'ici 2030, et presque doubler d'ici 2040, alors que de nombreux gouvernements augmentent leurs capacités nucléaires afin d'atteindre leurs objectifs en matière de réduction des émissions de carbone, a annoncé jeudi l'Association nucléaire mondiale (ANM) dans un rapport.

L'intérêt pour l'énergie nucléaire s'est également intensifié depuis l'invasion de l'Ukraine par la Russie, alors que de nombreux pays cherchent des alternatives aux approvisionnements énergétiques russes, a indiqué l'ANM dans son rapport bisannuel sur les combustibles nucléaires.

"Dès le début de la prochaine décennie, la production minière planifiée et prospective, en plus des quantités croissantes d'approvisionnement non spécifié, devront être débutées", est-il dit dans le rapport.

La production mondiale d'uranium a baissé de 25% à 47.731 tonnes entre 2016 et 2020 avant de reprendre légèrement l'année dernière et de s'établir à 49.355 tonnes, précise le rapport.

La capacité nucléaire mondiale était, à la fin du mois de juin, de 391 gigawatt électrique (GWe) provenant de 437 unités, avec 64 GWe supplémentaires en cours de construction.

Selon le rapport, la capacité nucléaire devrait augmenter de 14% d’ici à 2030 et bondir de 76% pour atteindre 686 GWe en 2040.

Cette augmentation se fera non seulement grâce à de nouveaux réacteurs, dont la plupart sont prévus en Chine et en Inde, mais aussi grâce à l’allongement de la durée de vie des centrales existantes.

“Plusieurs pays disposant d’un important parc nucléaire, comme le Canada, la France, le Japon, la Russie et l’Ukraine, autorisent l’exploitation des centrales existantes pour une durée allant jusqu’à 60 ans et, aux Etats-Unis, cette durée va jusqu’à 80 ans”, indique le rapport.

La demande en uranium pour son exploitation dans les centrales nucléaires devrait atteindre 83.840 tonnes d’ici 2030 et 130.000 tonnes d’ici 2040, contre 65.650 tonnes cette année.

https://www.reuters.com/article/nucleai ... RKBN30D1DU

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Un prospect d'uranium au Saskatchewan :

ALX obtains exploration permit for Saskatchewan uranium project
Acquired in 2021, McKenzie Lake uranium project covers 6,916 hectares of land with five claims.

September 22, 2023

Canada-based minerals explorer ALX Resources has secured an exploration permit from the Saskatchewan provincial government for its McKenzie Lake uranium project.

Owned 100% by ALX, the McKenzie Lake project is located on the eastern margin of the Athabasca Basin, 20km from its Javelin uranium project.

There are a total of five claims covering 6,916 hectares of land.

The company initially acquired four claims from a third-party vendor. The fifth claim was acquired in 2021.

In April this year, the company applied for a low-impact, surface exploration permit with the government, as a follow-up to a high-resolution magnetic and radiometric airborne survey. Subsequently, ALX received the exploration permit last month.

The McKenzie Lake-based high-resolution airborne magnetic and radiometric survey by Special Projects yielded detailed information about geological structures and identified radiometric ‘hot spots’ for future investigation.

Later on, the company claims to have used artificial intelligence to select target areas for surface prospecting at the project.

Samples collected from a brief visit to the McKenzie Lake site have revealed assays of 844 parts per million (ppm) at 0.101% triuranium octoxide (U₃O₈), 273ppm and 259ppm. The results, particularly with 844ppm, are said by the company to be anomalous, warranting further investigation.
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https://www.mining-technology.com/news/ ... t/?cf-view

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Afrique du Sud : Stranger Holdings s’active pour exploiter le gisement d’uranium Henkries

Agence Ecofin 3 oct 2023

L’Afrique du Sud est le seul pays africain à disposer d’une centrale nucléaire. Alors que de nouvelles centrales nucléaires sont en développement sur le continent et dans le reste du monde, des compagnies s’activent pour développer des mines afin de répondre à la hausse de la demande d’uranium.

En Afrique du Sud, une mine d’uranium devrait bientôt voir le jour sur le gisement Henkries. Selon un communiqué publié fin septembre par Stranger Holdings, une décision finale d’investissement devrait être prise d’ici deux ans pour le développement du projet.

Stranger Holdings a en effet conclu différends accords pour acquérir une participation initiale 50,1 % dans Desert Star Tradings, le propriétaire du gisement Henkries, avec la possibilité de porter cette participation à 70 % par la suite. Une fois la décision d’investissement prise, Stranger Holdings veut développer d’ici neuf à dix-huit mois une mine à petite échelle capable de générer des flux de trésorerie. Les fonds seront ensuite utilisés pour l’exploration à long terme (huit ans), afin de développer potentiellement une mine à grande échelle.

La stratégie en plusieurs étapes de Stranger devrait la positionner pour profiter de la tendance à la hausse qui caractérise depuis deux ans la demande et les prix de l’uranium. Alors que la dernière décennie a été surtout caractérisée par l’arrêt des mines d’uranium et le ralentissement des projets d’uranium, la transition énergétique change la donne. Les projets de centrale nucléaire se multiplient en effet dans le monde entier, et ces différentes centrales auront besoin d’uranium pour fonctionner.

C’est pour répondre à cette demande que dans plusieurs pays africains, des compagnies minières s’activent pour relancer des projets placés en régime de maintenance et entretien, où pour développer de nouvelles mines. Le numéro 1 mondial du secteur, Kazatomprom, a aussi annoncé fin septembre sa décision de mettre fin en 2025 aux restrictions en place depuis sept ans sur la production de ses mines.

Notons que pour refléter son futur statut de producteur d’uranium, Stranger Holdings va changer de nom pour devenir Neo Energy Metals. Elle prépare également son introduction sur la bourse de Londres.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/uranium/03 ... m-henkries

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suite de ce post du 30 juillet 2022 viewtopic.php?p=2348259#p2348259

Boss Energy begins mining uranium at Honeymoon project
The Honeymoon project was previously owned by Uranium One and acquired by Boss Energy in 2015.

October 11, 2023

ASX-listed uranium company Boss Energy has started mining activities at its Honeymoon project near the town of Broken Hill in South Australia.

The launch of mining activities was achieved with pre-conditioning of the first wellfield. It will lead up to in-situ recovery feeding of the processing plant with extracted uranium in the last quarter of this year.

The process of pre-conditioning cleans the unwanted chlorides and calcium from the orebody for efficient leaching and uranium capture.

Calcium and chloride containing groundwater is pumped from the orebody via extraction wells and processed through the water treatment plant to remove calcium.

It is then passed through the reverse osmosis (RO) plant to remove chloride. This clean water is thereafter acidified before being reinjected into the orebody through injection wells.

To reach the milestone, the company completed major construction work including wellfield development, gypsum repository construction, water treatment and RO plant commissioning. With these milestones, the mine is on track to begin production in December of this year.

Boss Energy managing director Duncan Craib said: “It is a testament to the hard work and effort undertaken by all Boss employees over many years to reach today’s pivotal milestone, the commencement of mining activities on Honeymoon.”

The project hosts the historical Honeymoon uranium mine, which was the country’s second in-situ recovery uranium mine. The project’s previous owner was Uranium One, which had initially began operations in 2011.

However, operations at the mine were halted in November 2013 due to a slump in the price of uranium. Subsequently, the project was acquired by Boss Energy in 2015.

An enhanced feasibility study released in June 2021 included revised capital and operating estimates and a wellfield design plan, along with revised economic assumptions.

Resource estimates at the Honeymoon restart area (HRA) have indicated 36 million pounds of triuranium octoxide (U3O8). With a life of mine of more than ten years, the production rate has been forecast at 2.45 million pounds per annum.

The company also claims that there is a further 35.6 million pounds outside of HRA, with significant potential for exploration.

https://www.mining-technology.com/news/ ... t/?cf-view

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prospect d'Uranium au Canada

Marvel buys Costigan Lake uranium project in Canada
The uranium project is located close to Cameco’s Key Lake Mine and is next to F3 Uranium’s Hobo project.

October 13, 2023

Occupying 5,518 hectares (ha) of land, the Costigan Lake project is located on the eastern side of the basin and is similar to some of the largest uranium mines such as Key Lake, Cigar Lake and McArthur River.

It is located on the Wollaston-Mudjactic Transition Zone (WMTZ), the same basement rocks on which several uranium deposits are located on the east side of the basin.

The project is situated 25km from Cameco’s Key Lake Mine, and is next to F3 Uranium’s Hobo project and Abasca Resources’ Key Lake South project, which recently completed a 4,959m drill programme.
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https://www.mining-technology.com/news/ ... ct-canada/

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suite de ce post du 16 juillet 2022 viewtopic.php?p=2347442#p2347442

Denison raises $55m to advance Phoenix project

By: Mariaan Webb 11th October 2023

Uranium exploration and development company Denison Mines on Tuesday announced bought-deal financing to raise $55.13-million to assist the company in advancing its Phoenix project to a final investment decision.

Denison, which trades on the TSX and NYSE American markets, entered into an agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald Canada, as sole book-runner and lead underwriter, to purchase 37-million shares at $1.49 each.

The underwriters have been granted an over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional 5.55-million shares at the issue price until October 16, for potential additional gross proceeds of $8.27-million.

Based upon preliminary budgets and plans, Denison said it expected the funds, taken together with existing financial resources including those from prior prospectus financings, would be sufficient to advance the Phoenix project to a final investment decision and into the project execution phase.


The Phoenix in-situ recovery uranium project forms part of Denison’s Wheeler River project, in the Athabasca basin.

The company also plans to use the proceeds for exploration and evaluation expenditures, as well as general corporate and administrative expenses.

https://www.miningweekly.com/article/de ... 2023-10-11

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suite de ce post du 6 mai 2023 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 5#p2368765

Mauritanie : un nouveau programme de forage de 15 500 m pour augmenter les ressources d’uranium du projet Tiris

Agence Ecofin 17 oct 2023

En Mauritanie, Aura Energy prévoit de faire entrer en production son projet d’uranium Tiris d’ici 2 ans, à temps pour pouvoir profiter des bonnes perspectives du marché. Alors qu’elle accélère les travaux pour respecter cette échéance, l’exploration sur le site se poursuit.

La compagnie minière Aura Energy a annoncé l’imminence d’un programme de forage de 15 500 m destiné à tester de nouvelles cibles d’exploration à son projet d’uranium Tiris, en Mauritanie. L’objectif de la campagne est d’améliorer l’estimation de ressources du projet qui s’élèvent actuellement à 58,9 millions de livres d’U3O8.

Selon les détails fournis mardi 17 octobre, la société a identifié sept nouvelles cibles d’exploration grâce à des travaux préliminaires réalisés sur le projet. Elle a indiqué que ces cibles laissent penser à des extensions potentielles de la minéralisation uranifère et pourraient transformer Tiris en un projet de classe mondiale.

Elle s’attend non seulement à une augmentation des ressources à 100 millions de livres d’U3O8, mais aussi à l’amélioration des paramètres économiques. « L’extension de nos ressources […] renforce le potentiel pour la Mauritanie de devenir un important producteur à court terme. Les bases économiques solides de notre projet d’uranium Tiris seront encore renforcées par l’augmentation de nos ressources minérales et de nos réserves », a commenté le DG, David Woodall.

Selon l’étude de faisabilité définitive optimisée, publiée fin mars dernier, le développement du projet nécessitera un capital initial de 87,9 millions de dollars plus un capital additionnel de 90,3 millions $ pour produire annuellement 2 millions de livres d’oxyde d’uranium. La durée de vie du projet est actuellement estimée à 16 ans.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/uranium/17 ... ojet-tiris

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Top 10 Uranium-producing Countries (Updated 2023)

Melissa PistilliAug. 29, 2023

Which country had the highest uranium production in the world in 2022? Kazakhstan topped the list, followed by Canada and Namibia.

For investors interested in following the uranium space, having familiarity with these uranium production hotspots is essential. Read on to get a closer look at 2022’s largest uranium-producing countries. All statistics are from the World Nuclear Association’s most recent report on uranium mine production.

1. Kazakhstan
Mine production: 21,227 MT

As mentioned, Kazakhstan had the highest uranium production in the world in 2022. In fact, the country’s total output of 21,227 MT accounted for 43 percent of global uranium supply.

When last recorded in 2021, Kazakhstan had 815,200 MT of known recoverable uranium resources, second only to Australia. Most of the uranium in the country is mined via an in-situ leaching process. Kazataprom (LSE:KAP), the country’s national uranium-mining company, is the world’s largest uranium producer with projects and partnerships in various jurisdictions.

2. Canada
Mine production: 7,351 MT

Canada’s uranium output has fallen dramatically since hitting a peak of 14,039 MT in 2016. After producing 6,938 MT of yellowcake in 2019, Canadian uranium production sank to 3,885 MT in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic led to operational shutdowns. However, in 2022 uranium production in the country began to rebound.

Saskatchewan’s Cigar Lake and McArthur River are considered the world’s two top uranium mines. Both projects are operated by sector major Cameco (TSX:CCO,NYSE:CCJ).

Uranium exploration is also very prevalent in Canada, with the majority occurring in the uranium-dense Athabasca Basin. That area of Saskatchewan is world renowned for its high-quality uranium deposits and friendly mining attitude. The province’s long history with the uranium industry has helped Saskatchewan assert itself as an international leader in the uranium sector.

3. Namibia
Mine production: 5,613 MT

Namibia’s uranium production has been steadily increasing after falling to a low of 2,993 MT in 2015. In fact, the African nation overtook longtime frontrunner Canada to become the third largest uranium-producing country in 2020, and surpassed Australia for the second top spot in 2021. Although Namibia slipped back below Canada in 2022, its output for the year was only down by 140 MT from 2021.

The country is home to two uranium mines that are capable of producing 10 percent of the world’s output. Paladin Energy (ASX:PDN,OTCQX:PALAF) owns the Langer Heinrich mine, while large miner Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO,ASX:RIO,LSE:RIO) sold its majority share of the Rössing mine to China National Uranium in 2019.

In 2017, Paladin took Langer Heinrich offline due to weak uranium prices. Improved uranium spot prices in the past few years has prompted the uranium miner to ramp up restart efforts. The company plans to have the mine back up and running in Q1 2024.

4. Australia
Mine production: 4,087 MT

Australia’s uranium production decreased significantly in 2021 to 4,192 MT, down from 2020’s 6,203 MT; it fell further in 2022 to hit 4,087 MT. The island nation holds 28 percent of the world’s known recoverable uranium resources.

Uranium mining is a contentious and often political issue in Australia. While the country permits some uranium-mining activity, it is opposed to using nuclear energy — at least for now. "Australia uses no nuclear power, but with high reliance on coal any likely carbon constraints on electricity generation will make it a strong possibility,” according to the World Nuclear Association. “Australia has a significant infrastructure to support any future nuclear power program.”

Australia is home to Olympic Dam, the largest-known deposit of uranium in the world, but as mentioned not all parts of the country are open to uranium mining. For example, in 2017, the Western Australian government decided to allow existing projects to go ahead, but was clear that no new domestic uranium-mining projects will be approved. This decision has left a number of companies in limbo.

5. Uzbekistan
Mine production: 3,300 MT

In 2020, with an estimated 3,500 MT of output, Uzbekistan became one of the top five uranium-producing countries. Domestic uranium production had been gradually increasing in the Central Asian nation since 2016. Previously seventh in terms of global uranium output, it is expanding production via Japanese and Chinese joint ventures. However, for 2022, the country's uranium output was down by 200 MT to 3,300 MT.

Navoi Mining & Metallurgy Combinat is part of state holding company Kyzylkumredmetzoloto, and handles all the mining and processing of domestic uranium supply.

6. Russia
Mine production: 2,508 MT

Russia was in sixth place in terms of uranium production in 2022. Output has been steady in the country since 2011, usually coming in around the 2,800 to 3,000 MT range.

Experts had been expecting the country to increase its production in the coming years to meet its energy needs, as well as growing uranium demand around the world. However, Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine and the resulting sanctions placed on its economy may impact that outlook. In 2021, uranium production in the country dropped by 211 MT from the previous year to 2,635 MT; it fell further by another 127 MT to reach 2,508 MT in 2022.

Beyond that, Russian uranium has been an area of controversy in recent years, with the US conducting a Section 232 investigation around the security of uranium imports from that region.

In terms of domestic production, Rosatom, a subsidiary of ARMZ Uranium Holding, owns the country’s Priargunsky mine and is working on developing the Vershinnoye deposit in Southern Siberia through a subsidiary.

7. Niger
Mine production: 2,020 MT

Niger’s uranium production has declined year-on-year over the past decade, with output totaling 2,020 MT in 2022. The African nation has two uranium mines in production, SOMAIR and COMINAK, which account for 5 percent of the world’s uranium production. Both projects are operated by subsidiaries of Orano, a private uranium miner with projects in top uranium-producing countries Kazakhstan and Canada.

Niger is also home to the flagship project of explorer GoviEx Uranium (TSXV:GXU,OTCQB:GVXXF). The uranium company is presently developing its Madaeouela asset, as well as projects in Zambia and Mali.

The recent military coup in the African nation has sparked uranium supply concerns, as Niger accounts for 15 percent of France's uranium needs and one-fifth of EU imports. However, uranium companies in Niger, including Orano, GoviEx and Global Atomic (TSX:GLO,OTCQX:GLATF), have informed investors that their operations remain secure and are moving forward as planned.

8. China
Mine production: 1,700 MT

China’s uranium production rose from 885 MT in 2011 to 1,885 MT in 2018, and held steady at that level until falling to 1,600 MT in 2021. The country's uranium output grew by 100 MT to hit 1,700 MT in 2022. China General Nuclear Power, the country’s sole domestic uranium supplier, is looking to expand nuclear fuel supply deals with Kazakhstan and additional foreign uranium companies.

China’s goal is to supply one-third of its nuclear fuel cycle with uranium from domestic producers, obtain one-third through foreign equity in mines and joint ventures overseas and purchase one-third on the open uranium market. China is also a leader in nuclear energy; Mainland China has 55 nuclear reactors with 23 in construction.

9. India
Mine production: 600 MT

India produced 600 MT of uranium in 2022, on par with output in 2021. The country’s output of the energy fuel had held steady between 300 and 420 MT over the past decade.

India currently has 22 operating nuclear reactors with another eight under construction. “The Indian government is committed to growing its nuclear power capacity as part of its massive infrastructure development programme,” as per the World Nuclear Association. “The government has set ambitious targets to grow nuclear capacity.”

10. South Africa
Mine production: 200 MT

South Africa is another uranium-producing country that has seen its output decline over the past decade — the nation's uranium output peaked at 573 MT in 2014. Nonetheless, South Africa surpassed Ukraine's production (curbed by Russia's invasion) in 2022 to become the 10th top uranium producer.

South Africa holds 5 percent of the world’s known uranium resources, taking the sixth spot on that list.

https://investingnews.com/daily/resourc ... countries/

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suite de ce post du 3 spt 2023 http://www.oleocene.org/phpBB3/viewtopi ... 6#p2376256

Ministerial approval for NexGen uranium project

09 November 2023

Saskatchewan's Ministry of Environment has given its approval for NexGen Energy to proceed with the development of its Rook I uranium project. NexGen is the first company in more than 20 years to receive full Provincial Environmental Assessment approval for a uranium project in Saskatchewan.


Rook I (Image: NexGen)

The approval is a major milestone for the project, NexGen CEO Leigh Curyer said: "Throughout the rigorous EA process, the Government of Saskatchewan recognised the unparalleled value and future opportunities the Rook I Project will provide for local communities, Saskatchewan, and Canada." With this approval in place, the company has now submitted all responses to the federal technical review of the project's Environmental Impact Statement and is looking forward to the completion of the environmental assessment approval process, he added.

The company has lodged the initial applications for approvals of site earthworks, shaft sinking infrastructure, site water and mine waste management facilities, and associated ancillary infrastructure and services, and said it is continuously engaged with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment regarding these phases of development.

Rook I is 100% owned by NexGen and hosts the Arrow uranium deposit, with measured and indicated mineral resources of 256.7 million pounds U3O8 (98,739 tU) supporting an initial 10.7 year mine-life.

The company has adopted an integrated approach to the federal and provincial environmental licensing processes, with the provincial energy ministry and the federal regulator, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, cooperating to share information while completing the environmental assessment process in accordance with their separate requirements and guidelines.

The project is located within the Clearwater Dene Nation, Birch Narrows Dene Nation and Buffalo River Dene Nation traditional territories, and the Métis Homeland. All four Local Priority Area Communities have formally confirmed their consent and support for NexGen's stewardship of the Rook I Project covering the full life-cycle of the mine.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... um-project

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Le projet Koppies en Namibie augmente la ressource en Uranium :

Elevate upgrades Koppies uranium resource to 48Mlb

8th November 2023

Australia-listed junior Elevate Uranium on Wednesday announced a 136% increase in the mineral resource estimate of its Koppies project, which now stands at 48-million pounds of uranium oxide equivalent (eU3O8).

“The 136% increase in the resource substantially advances the status of the Koppies project, increasing our Namibian mineral resources by 42% to 94-million pounds eU3O8 and our global resources to 142-million pounds eU3O8,” commented MD Murray Hill.

He attributed the increase to Elevate’s focused exploration strategy and the diligent work of its geological team.

Koppies is one of the shallowest uranium resources globally, with 95% of the resource within about 15 m of the surface and 50% of the resource within about 6 m of the surface. These parameters, Hill said, were important for any potential low strip ratio, low-cost mining operation at Koppies.

Owing to the large surface area of mineralisation at Koppies, drilling activities and resource updates are split into phases. The company currently has three drill rigs operating to expand the resource.

Hill said the next resource update would include the drilling currently in progress using three drill rigs to the south of Koppies 2 and into Koppies 4 and is expected to be completed during the March quarter next year.

Recent analysis of the drilling results has confirmed the potential for additional mineralisation beneath the earlier shallow drilling efforts. This finding is particularly encouraging as it indicates that the true scale of the resource could be far greater than currently defined.

https://www.miningweekly.com/article/el ... 2023-11-08

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Namibie : le propriétaire du projet d’uranium Koppies annonce une levée de fonds de 10 millions $ pour l’exploration

Agence Ecofin 8 dec 2023

Fin novembre dernier, les prix de l’uranium ont franchi pour la première fois la barre des 80 dollars la livre depuis plus de 15 ans. Alors que le cours du combustible nucléaire est sur une tendance haussière, plusieurs entreprises présentes en Afrique s’activent pour en tirer profit.

La compagnie minière Elevate Uranium, active sur plusieurs projets d’exploration d’uranium en Namibie, a annoncé vendredi 8 décembre une levée de fonds de 10 millions de dollars. Le financement qui sera mobilisé grâce à un placement, permettra à la société d’accélérer ses plans de croissance sur son portefeuille namibien, mais aussi en Australie.

Selon les détails communiqués, les travaux prévus comprennent la définition des ressources sur certains projets, un forage d’extension de ressources, des programmes d’exploration régionale à fort impact et le début d’études techniques. Sur son projet namibien de Koppies en particulier, la société vise une mise à jour des ressources minérales d’ici le premier trimestre 2024.

« Le placement […] nous permet de poursuivre de manière résolue le développement de notre projet phare Koppies, en Namibie, tout en explorant nos autres projets en Namibie et en Australie », a commenté le DG Murray Hill, indiquant que la société souhaite profiter du contexte de hausse constante du prix de l’uranium pour intensifier ses activités d’exploration en Namibie.

En dehors de son projet Koppies où une première estimation des ressources de 20,3 millions de livres d’uranium a été annoncée en 2022, Elevate Uranium dispose de plusieurs autres actifs en phase d’exploration en Namibie. On retrouve entre autres les projets Hirabeb, Namib IV, Marenica ou encore Capri. Tous ces projets sont situés dans la région d’Erongo, reconnue sur le plan mondial pour ses grandes réserves d’uranium.

Prix d’uranium en hausse, reprise des activités sur plusieurs projets

Comme le rapportait Agence Ecofin fin novembre dernier, la tendance haussière entamée depuis plusieurs mois par le prix de l’uranium continue. Il a atteint le seuil des 80 dollars la livre pour la première fois depuis plus de 15 ans.

Ce regain de santé pousse de plus en plus d’entreprises à relancer des projets placés en maintenance et entretien depuis plusieurs années. Et pour les compagnies possédant des licences d’exploration sur le continent africain, le moment est propice pour intensifier les travaux. Selon les données d’Ecofin Pro, la plateforme de l’Agence Ecofin dédiée aux professionnels, la Namibie, le Niger, l’Afrique du Sud, le Malawi et la Mauritanie sont les pays africains les mieux positionnés pour profiter de la hausse de la demande et des prix.

https://www.agenceecofin.com/uranium/08 ... xploration

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Projet d'augmentation de la production d'Uranium enrichi chez Urenco aux Pays-Bas.

Urenco to expand capacity at Dutch facility

14 December 2023

Uranium enrichment services provider Urenco has announced plans to increase capacity at its plant in Almelo in the Netherlands by 15% in response to new commitments from customers.Urenco to expand capacity at Dutch facility


The Almelo plant (Image: Urenco)

The project will see multiple new centrifuge cascades added to an existing plant in Almelo, adding about 750 tonnes of SWU per year. The first new cascades are scheduled to come online around 2027.

Urenco noted this is the third major investment to be approved under its capacity programme to strengthen the nuclear fuel supply chain worldwide.

Earlier this year, Urenco approved its first expansion project at its plant in Eunice, New Mexico - the only operating commercial uranium enrichment facility in North America - providing an additional capacity of 700 tonnes of SWU per year. The first new cascades are due online in 2025. The plant currently has a production capacity of 4600 tSWU per year.

At its site in Gronau, Germany, the company is re-fitting an existing space with more modern centrifuge technology which will enhance the capacity of the plant.

Urenco said the capacity programme is a long-term plan to meet increasing customer demand as more countries and utility companies turn to nuclear for the first time, or seek to extend and/or diversify fuel supplies for existing nuclear operations.

"Urenco is committed to the clean energy transition and supporting customers with their energy security needs," CEO Boris Schucht said. "Our latest expansion is our largest so far, coming as a result of the growing momentum behind nuclear energy which was further evident at the recent COP28 in Dubai where both a ministerial and industrial commitment were signed by governments and companies.

"We take the needs of the market incredibly seriously and will announce further investment decisions where required across our enrichment sites."

In addition to the Almelo, Eunice and Gronau plant, Urenco also operates an enrichment facility at Capenhurst in the UK.

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/Arti ... h-facility