World uranium reserves. How to divide uranium

Nuclear power plants do not produce energy from thin air; they also use natural resources - primarily uranium. If we compare the two lists - the ten countries with the largest uranium reserves and - we will see that the lists do not coincide at all.

Explored uranium reserves in the world by country (top 16)

• Australia – 1,706 thousand tons
• Kazakhstan – 679 thousand tons
• Russia – 505 thousand tons
• Canada - 493 thousand tons
• Niger - 404 thousand tons
• Namibia – 382 thousand tons
• South Africa - 338 thousand tons
• Brazil – 276 thousand tons
• USA – 207 thousand tons
• China – 199 thousand tons
• Mongolia – 141 thousand tons
• Ukraine – 117 thousand tons
• Uzbekistan – 91 thousand tons
• Botswana – 68 thousand tons
• Tanzania – 58 thousand tons
• Jordan – 40 thousand tons
• Other countries – 191 thousand tons

It can be noted that a quarter of the world's reserves are located in Australia, which has nothing to do with nuclear energy. Significant resources are located in Kazakhstan, South Africa, Namibia, Brazil, Niger - countries that either have no nuclear power plants at all, or have only a few reactors and are often operated by foreign companies. This is how the French mine uranium in Niger for their own needs.

At the same time, countries such as the USA, China, especially India, France, Japan, South Korea, and Great Britain are experiencing an acute shortage of natural uranium. As a result, at the moment, a real war has developed among these countries for control over uranium deposits, a particularly tough struggle is taking place in Africa, where civil wars begin for the sake of this, “necessary” separatists are supported, and thousands of people are killed.

Similar “battles” also took place in Kazakhstan, which is close to Russia, however, the issue was resolved primarily with the help of bribes, bribery, and legal wars for the right to own resource sources. Now in Kazakhstan, as the CIS directory informs, there are several uranium mines operating for export. Kazakhstan will never build it.

But taking possession of a mine with uranium is half the battle; uranium for use in nuclear power plants also needs to be enriched, and this process is very labor-intensive. Only 15 countries in the world have their own uranium enrichment capacity. Among them as major players are Russia, the USA, Japan, France, Germany, Great Britain, China and India. So there are smaller countries in terms of nuclear energy - Argentina, Brazil, Israel, Iran, Belgium, North Korea, Pakistan. An important point is that 6 countries - Russia, the USA, the UK, France, Germany and Belgium - account for 97% of the world's uranium enrichment capacity. As a result, large players, such as Rosatom, divide the world for themselves, constantly meeting at different sites - for example, or at Ukrainian nuclear power plants - and

Moscow, October 25 - "Vesti.Ekonomika". If you watch the news, you might be under the impression that uranium is only used to make atomic bombs and nuclear power plants.

However, uranium has many uses.

Unfortunately, the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant and the situation around Iran have given uranium a bad reputation.

However, this element is of great importance.

Below we will tell you about the 8 countries with the largest uranium reserves in the world.

1. Australia

Australia is the undisputed leader in uranium reserves in the world. According to the World Nuclear Association, about 31.18% of all world uranium reserves are located in this country, which in numerical equivalent means 661 thousand tons of uranium.

There are 19 uranium deposits in Australia. The largest and most famous are Olympic Dam, where approximately 3 thousand tons of uranium are mined per year, Beverly (mining 1 thousand tons) and Honemoon (900 tons per year). The cost of uranium mining in the country is $40 per 1 kg.

Australia's political and economic stability makes it an ideal location for many mining companies, such as Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton Limited.

Uranium mining by Rio and BHP is carried out mainly in Australia, and it is these two companies that play a huge role in the global uranium market.

2. Kazakhstan

The second place in terms of uranium reserves belongs to Kazakhstan. The Asian country contains 11.81% of the world's fuel reserves, which equals 629 thousand tons of uranium.

There are 16 developed fields in Kazakhstan where valuable resources are extracted.

The largest deposits of Korsan, South Inkai, Irkol, Kharasan, Western Mynkuduk and Budenovskoye are located in the Chusaray and Syrdarya uranium provinces.

Kazakhstan is a country rich in natural resources. It is noted that 22% of the country’s total exports come from Russia and China.

Kazatomprom, a state-owned company, controls the country's uranium production through a network of subsidiaries as well as joint ventures with foreign companies.

3. Russia

Russia ranks third in terms of uranium reserves. According to experts, in its depths there are 487,200 tons of uranium, which is 9.15% of the world's uranium resources.

Despite the size of the country and large reserves of uranium, there are only 7 deposits in Russia, and almost all of them are located in Transbaikalia.

More than 90% of the country’s mined uranium comes from the Chita region.

This is the Streltsovskoye ore field, which includes more than ten deposits of uranium ore. The largest center is the city of Krasnokamensk.

The remaining 5-8% of uranium in the country is located in Buryatia and the Kurgan region.

4. Canada

The leading place in terms of uranium ore reserves in North America, and fourth globally, belongs to Canada.

The country's total uranium reserves amount to 468,700 tons of uranium, which is 8.80% of the world's reserves.

Canada owns unique deposits of the “unconformity” type, the ores of which are rich and compact, the largest of which are MacArthur River and Cigar Lake.

The country is developing the Waterbury Project uranium deposit, which consists of several deposits and covers an area of ​​12,417 hectares.

Canada has had enormous advantages throughout its history due to its proximity to the United States.

The main company mining uranium in Canada is Cameco.

5. South Africa

In South Africa, uranium is mined as a by-product from gold deposits. The Dominion deposit is the largest in the country with open-pit and underground mining.

Large mines include Western Ariez, Palabora, Randfontein and Vaal River, where the tailings of gold mining are mainly mined.

The average cost of uranium mining in an African country is $40 per 1 kg. In terms of uranium production, South Africa lags far behind the leading countries in this industry, producing 540 tons of uranium per year, this is the twelfth figure in the world.

According to some estimates, South Africa has 6% of the world's uranium reserves.

However, other sources claim that South Africa's reserves are lower than those of Niger and Namibia.

The main problems in the country's economy are unemployment, high levels of poverty, and inequality.

The country is better known for mining gold, platinum and chromium rather than uranium.

South Africa has two nuclear power plants, but there are plans to build several more nuclear power plants.

Thus, South Africa could become a potentially large market for uranium use.

6. Niger

Uranium reserves account for 5% of the world's total. The largest deposits in the country are Imuraren, Madauela, Arlit and Azelit; there are 12 of them in the country.

The cost of mined uranium in Niger is $34-50 per 1 kg.

The main player in the country's uranium market is the French company Areva SA, which mines the Arlit deposit, one of the 10 largest uranium deposits in the world.

In addition, uranium is Niger's largest export.

According to Areva, uranium accounts for about 5% of the country's GDP.

At the same time, Niger is a rather poor country and depends on foreign investment for the extraction of natural resources.

There is a company called Uranium One, which owns the largest uranium deposits in Kazakhstan, Africa, Australia and the USA. The company accounts for up to 30% of global uranium production. But few people know that Uranium One, once founded as a Canadian-South African consortium, is now 100% owned by Rosatom.

There is a continuous fierce struggle going on in the world for control over uranium mines and deposits. This is a strategic issue. Whoever holds uranium sources in his hands not only holds the entire world's nuclear energy industry by the throat, but can also influence the nuclear weapons market.

In the USSR, systematic work on the search and exploration of uranium deposits was carried out in the territories of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. Mining and chemical plants were created that extracted uranium in mines and mines. The mined uranium was sent to the military area, to provide fuel for nuclear power plants and to strategic reserves. But in the early 90s everything broke down.

The “free market” for uranium is a myth

Probably, lovers of the liberal economic model believe that there is a “free market” for uranium in the world, by analogy with other “free markets”. But this is far from true. When it comes to strategic resources, serious players do not rely on the “invisible hand of the market”, preferring more reliable methods of control. A very clear example here is France, where 75% of electricity is generated by nuclear power plants.

French reactors need to be provided with fuel. In addition, the energy giants of this country - EDF and Areva - are active in the field of global nuclear energy and sell nuclear fuel to their partners. The supply of uranium to French companies is achieved mainly through Central Africa. There are both active mines and as-yet undeveloped uranium deposits, control of which is dominated by French companies.

But this “dominate” did not fall from the sky. In fact, France has to maintain its great influence in the region by any means. Maintain cultural ties established in colonial times, manage political processes, finance infrastructure projects, create and arm their armies, and even directly participate in armed conflicts of various natures. Because there are a lot of people who want to take away control of uranium mines and deposits from the French. These are Islamists, Tuaregs, various local tribes and the ubiquitous Chinese. And the companies of France’s main ally, the United States, are happy to push the French out of uranium mining in the region. Therefore, now at least 5.5 thousand French military personnel are permanently stationed in the countries of Central Africa. Having spent great efforts and through direct military intervention, France was able to stop the war in Mali in 2013. Since 2012, the French have contained the escalation of the war in the Central African Republic. In both religious and interethnic conflicts, the “uranium component” is clearly visible. And uranium mines need to be protected from terrorist attacks and suffer losses where they could not be prevented.

There are two interesting questions regarding the method of providing uranium to French nuclear power plants. What is the real cost of Central African uranium for France? It is very, very large if you count all the costs France has to maintain the status quo in the region.

But what about Germany and Japan, which do not have their own uranium “central Africa”? The governments of these countries have already given the answer to the question - to “completely phase out” nuclear energy. That is, the German and Japanese programs to stop the construction of new and shutdown existing nuclear power plants are determined, first of all, by the lack of guarantees of their provision of fuel in the future. And the protests of the “greens” (Germany) and the accident in Fukushima (Japan) are reasons, but not reasons.

But it seems that the French also understand that they will not be able to hold on to uranium mines in Central Africa indefinitely. Therefore, they are already considering a bill providing for a reduction in the share of electricity generated at nuclear power plants from 75% to 50%.

The world is constantly waging a quiet but fierce struggle for control over uranium mines and deposits. “Control” has one peculiarity. The life cycle of a nuclear power plant is approaching 100 years. And already at the planning stage for the construction of the next nuclear reactor, the issue of providing it with fuel must be guaranteed to be resolved. It was decided for decades to come. That is, control over mines and uranium deposits must be guaranteed for decades.

Kazakhstan is the main resource in the uranium market

In the USSR, the territory of Kazakhstan was considered as a reserve for the development of uranium mining in the future. Its deposits have been explored and their reserves have been assessed. This was the basis for the rapid development of uranium mining in independent Kazakhstan. To date, 129 deposits and ore occurrences have been explored and studied here. In total, uranium reserves and resources in Kazakhstan amount to about 1.7 million tons (12% of world reserves and resources). Its production is carried out at 20 mines. All are located in sandstone-type deposits.

Kazakhstan is the world's leading uranium producer. The share of uranium mined on its territory from global production was: 2009 - 28%; 2010 - 33%; 2011 - 36%; 2012 - 36.5%; 2013 - 38%. In total, 20.9 thousand tons were produced in 2012, and 22.5 thousand tons in 2013 (an increase of 7.7%). It is planned to produce 24.0 thousand tons in 2014, 24.8 thousand tons in 2015, and 25.6 thousand tons in 2016.

The main volume of uranium production falls on the national company "Kazatomprom" (geological exploration, uranium mining, its export). It mines uranium independently and as part of a joint venture. In 2012, the company’s production amounted to (including shares in the joint venture) 11.9 thousand tons, in 2013 - 12.6 thousand tons, in the first quarter of 2014 - 3.0 thousand tons.

At the same time, in 2013, foreign companies produced 9.9 thousand tons of uranium in Kazakhstan (44% of total production). But who are these major foreign players? The question is, of course, interesting. And the answer is even more interesting.

Uranium One is a mysterious key player

The Uranium One company is active in Kazakhstan, which, as part of a joint venture, conducts industrial uranium mining at six mines: Akdala (Uranium One accounts for 70%), South Inkai (70%), Karatau (50%), Akbastau (50%), Zarechnoye (49.67%) and Kharasan (30%). Apart from Uranium One, only Kazatomprom is a co-owner of the first four mines.

In the Zarechnoye mine, Kazatomprom accounts for 49.67% (the same as Uranium One) and the remaining share of 0.66% belongs to Karabalta Mining Plant (Kyrgyzstan).

In the Kharasan mine, Kazatomprom and Uranium One each own 30%, and the remaining share (40%) is owned by a consortium of Japanese energy companies Energy Asia Limited.

In 2012, Uranium One produced 4,387 tons of uranium at its Kazakhstan mines (taking into account its share in the mines), in 2013 - 4,915 tons (an increase of 12.0%). In the first quarter In 2014, 1,381 tons were produced (an increase of 9.6% compared to the first quarter of 2013). By 2017, uranium production is planned to increase to 6,000 tons.

In addition to the Kazakh assets, Uranium One “solely” owns two more uranium mines - Willow Creek in the USA and Honeymoon in Australia. Commercial uranium mining is currently underway at the American Willow Creek mine. In 2013, 426 tons were produced. In the first quarter. 2014 - 79 tons (27.5% decrease compared to the first quarter of 2013). Pilot production is underway at the Australian Honeymoon. In the first half of 2013, 83 tons were mined. Since the second half of the year, the mine has been mothballed.

In total, Uranium One produced 5,534 tons at all its mines on three continents in 2012, 5,988 tons in 2013, and plans to produce at least 5,625 tons in 2014.

Uranium One also has a 13.9% stake in and operator of the Mkuju River mine in Tanzania, Africa. A feasibility study for its development is being prepared. The company had an option to increase its share in the mine, and there was such an opportunity. But at the end of 2013, a decision was made that this step was inappropriate.

The reduction in uranium production at the Willow Creek mine and its cessation at Honeymoon, as well as the refusal to increase the share in Mkuyu River, is associated with unfavorable conditions on the world market. Now the price of uranium is falling. The average selling price for Uranium One in the first quarter. 2013 was $45 per pound, and in the first quarter. 2014 - $36. The company's adjusted net loss in the first quarter. 2014 amounted to $22.9 million, in the first quarter. 2013 - $11.2 million.

But who is behind the company, which is one of the largest uranium miners in the world?

Uranium One was created at the end of 2005 through the merger of two mining companies: Canadian Southern Cross Resources Inc. and South African Aflease Gold and Uranium Resources Limited. Registered in Canada. In 2007, Uranium One bought two more companies - UrAsia Energy Ltd. and Energy Metals Corporation.

UrAsia Energy Ltd. registered in the USA. It was she who, at the end of 2005, bought shares in the Akdala, South Inkai and Kharasan mines for $420 million from an unnamed “group of Kazakh investors” at that time. The uranium reserves and resources of these mines amount to 71.8 thousand tons (as of 2013).

But after UrAsia Energy Ltd passed into the hands of Uranium One, the latter also acquired shares in these Kazakh mines. In addition, at the end of 2009, Uranium One acquired a 50% stake in another Kazakh Karatau mine, and at the beginning of 2010, the Willow Creek mine in the USA (uranium reserves and resources of 10.9 thousand tons). At the end of 2010, Uranium One also acquired shares in the Akbastau and Zarechnoye mines.

Now let's move on to the real owners of the extremely active and rapidly growing company Uranium One.

Let us recall that in the 90s and the first half of the 2000s, Russia was focused on defending its sovereignty and its natural resources. There were many people who wanted to extract oil, gas and metal ores in Russia. Therefore, there was no longer any strength or money left to fight for foreign deposits, and Russia’s successes in the fight for Kazakh uranium were modest.

Rosatom, represented by its daughter Atomredmetzoloto (ARMZ), received only pitiful crumbs at the start of the 2000s - in 2001, a joint venture was created to develop the Zarechnoye mine. The situation began to change fundamentally only at the end of 2006, when the Comprehensive Program of Russian-Kazakh Cooperation in the Field of the Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes was signed. In accordance with it, a joint venture was created to develop the Akbastau mine. The second “advancement” occurred in early 2009, when Rosatom’s subsidiary ARMZ bought a share (50%) of the Karatau mine from the Kazakh company Efficient Energy, and pilot industrial uranium mining was started at it, as well as at the Zarechnoye and Akbastau mines . In the same year, Rosatom began to get its hands on Uranium One. The first step was neutral - ARMZ exchanged its stake in Karatau for 19.9% ​​shares of Uranium One. Later, ARMZ's share was increased to 23.1%.

In June 2010, ARMZ increased its stake in Uranium One to a controlling 51%. As payment, Uranium One received ARMZ's shares in the Zarechnoye and Akbastau mines, as well as $610 million.

And at the end of January 2013, ARMZ bought the remaining 49% shares of Uranium One for $1 billion, taking advantage of the fact that they had fallen in price after the accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.

In January of this year, the head of Rosatom Sergey Kiriyenko reported the following: “We mined 3.2 thousand tons of uranium per year. But in 2013 we produced 8.4 thousand tons".

As you can understand, the stated result of annual production in 2013 “8.4 thousand tons” Sergei Kiriyenko named Uranium One taking into account production. And the indicator to “3.2 thousand tons” characterizes uranium mining directly on Russian territory.

In 2013, Rosatom's wholly-owned granddaughter Uranium One produced 4,915 tons of uranium in Kazakh mines (49.6% of total production by foreign companies). This is 1.54 times more than Rosatom produced in Russia. This is the price of the issue in the battle for uranium in Kazakhstan.

Let us immediately note that Uranium One’s losses in 2013 and early 2014 when it is included in the vertically integrated company Rosatom, they are formal in nature, since low prices for uranium lead to Rosatom saving on fuel for its nuclear power plants. And the refusal to buy a share in the African Mkuyu River mine is most likely due to the fact that in the near future this share can be bought much cheaper.

How the USA fucked up all the atomic polymers

In the period from the beginning of 2009 to the beginning of 2013, Rosatom not only radically “advanced” Western firms in uranium mining in Kazakhstan, but also acquired mines in the USA, Australia and Tanzania. How could this happen? Who allowed? Where were the State Department and the Pentagon looking?

There were two factors at work for Rosatom. The first of them was diplomatically formulated by the General Director of JSC Techsnabexport, Ms. Zalimskaya. According to her, “the successful implementation of the HEU-LEU Program has laid a solid foundation for the further development of Russian-American cooperation in the nuclear field”. And so it is. The basis for further cooperation is truly solid. The point is that for today USA hit in complete technological dependence on Rosatom in the field of uranium enrichment. Obviously, at the final stage of the HEU-LEU program, Washington realized that after the termination of this program, their nuclear power plants could be left without fuel. As a result, the United States was forced to enter into an unspoken package agreement with Russia, according to which Uranium One “went” to Rosatom. Most likely, under the same package agreement, Rosatom also received control over a fifth of the US uranium reserves. And this is not an exaggeration! Uranium One produced 426 tons of uranium at its American Willow Creek mine in 2013, which is 19.5% of total production in the United States (2181 tons).

The second factor that worked for Rosatom was the Comprehensive Program of Russian-Kazakh Cooperation in the Field of the Use of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes. The program signed in 2006 is already mentioned above. But it is worth mentioning the signing by the presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan in May 2013 of a number of bilateral documents relating to uranium mining. In addition to resolving legal issues with uranium mines in Kazakhstan, these documents also include a Memorandum on the joint construction of a 1,200 MW nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan.

In addition, Rosatom and Kazatomprom signed a joint statement on the development of cooperation in the field of alternative energy and the production of rare and rare earth metals. A separate memorandum on the latter issue was signed on June 25 of this year in Moscow. Uranium One has a real project for the extraction of scandium from productive solutions of uranium ore fields. The corresponding technology was created by Russian scientists. In 2013, the first kilograms of this rare earth metal were obtained. In the future, scandium production volumes at Uranium One mines may turn out to be so large that they could collapse the world market.

Another joint Russian-Kazakh project began working in 2013. In October 2006, two countries on a parity basis (Rosatom's subsidiary TVEL from Russia, Kazatomprom from Kazakhstan) created the Uranium Enrichment Center. In September 2013, he acquired a stake in the authorized capital of the Ural Electrochemical Plant in the amount of 25% plus one share. This deal cost Kazakhstan approximately $400-500 million. But now Kazatomprom has the right to enrich its uranium at the Russian plant. By the end of 2013, the Uranium Enrichment Center was supposed to make the first commercial delivery in the amount of 300 thousand SWU (separation work unit). In subsequent years, Kazatomprom will have guaranteed access to uranium enrichment in the amount of up to 5 million SWU.

As we remember, in ancient times the whole world seemed to people standing on three huge elephants, which rested their feet on the shell of an even more massive turtle.

Interestingly, Western uranium peace - of course minus as always, mysterious, incomprehensible and somewhat alien to the “collective West” countries like Russia, China or Kazakhstan, to which I will return a little later, in the next material - looks in some ways elusively similar to the naive ideas of the ancients about the earth’s terra firma:

Canadian elephants, Australian tortoise. The Western world is flat and on top.

Having familiarized ourselves in the previous material with a clear refutation of the fears of the average person about radiation, we can now look somewhat differently at the historical process of uranium mining in Western countries, at its current state and at the prospects for the uranium mining industry in the near future.

To analyze many parameters of uranium mining in the West, I deliberately take the work of Mikael Dittmar "The end of cheap uranium", since it is precisely this that, for example, the guru of “new accelerator nuclear energy” Mr. Ostretsov likes to mindlessly quote.
Well, in general, in general, this work has recently served as a fairly good bludgeon in the hands of opponents of nuclear energy.
Like: “Where are you pushing us, next year there will be no more uranium at all! Shut down the reactors!”

Exactly. Will not be. In 2013. At all. Uranus. On the ground.
Let's figure it out, slowly and in detail. With the entire herd and for all cows - individually.

Let's start with the uranium "elders". From those who started uranium mining first and who already have about as much natural uranium left: from the USA and from Europe. Let's start with the “flat world”, which is, as it were, on the palm of your hand, in plain sight and all on top.

It is these two regions, as we remember, that consume the largest amount of uranium in their reactors. In Europe, 14 countries out of 27 members of the European Union now have nuclear power units:

Orange shows countries using "Western" type power units - made in the USA (Westinghouse), Germany (Siemens), France (Areva), Great Britain (Magnox) or Canada (CANDU), countries using Soviet-made units - "blocks" are shown in red. Russian" type.

As we see, the Warsaw Pact and the NATO Bloc are still visibly present on the political map of Europe, albeit in such a specific industry as nuclear energy - it turns out that nothing has changed in the reactor world over the past 20 years since the collapse of the USSR.

Standing apart in the picture of the division of Europe into East and West are Finland, which, like a smart calf, sucks “two mothers” at once, and Romania and Slovenia, on whose territory Western-type reactors were found during the Cold War.

If someone accuses me of bias and dividing the now free and now democratic world according to some “conventional criteria,” then I will only say that still, and 20 years after the collapse of the USSR, the supply of reactor fuel is made almost 100% by the same suppliers (or their direct heirs) who at one time built the corresponding reactors.
Russia supplies fuel to reactors of Soviet models, the West supplies fuel to Western reactors.

Yes, I know about Westinghouse’s experience in Ukraine and the Czech Republic, and I know about Rosatom’s negotiations with Sweden and other Western countries, but so far, in fact "West is West, East is East, and they will never come together".
But it is convenient to count. "Everyone is responsible for everything."

In total in Europe as of 2012 there are 111 Western-type reactors and 20 Soviet-type reactors. Only reactors operating on general networks were taken into account; for the purposes of our calculations, it makes no sense to count any research detail.

With such a riot of nuclear energy - and, in general, it gives Europe 29.5% of total electricity production, and this is main source electricity in Europe—Europe has virtually no reserves of its own uranium. Once again: nuclear power is the main source of electricity in the European Union, while only 14 countries out of 27 EU members have reactors. More important than coal, more important than gas, more important than hydroelectric power stations, there’s nothing even to say about windmills and solar cells, they, as they say, are “less than a pixel on the diagram.” In France, 78% of electricity comes from nuclear power plants.

But there is no uranium. The first of the nuclear islands of the "flat world" of the West is already completely deprived of its own sources of uranium. All uranium is imported. France, according to the old colonial tradition, plunders imports of uranium from Niger and Gabon, while the rest are trying to extract uranium wherever they can. In general, Russia, Australia, Canada and Niger provide four more than 70% of deliveries uranium to Europe.

Is Honduras concerned about Europe's dependence on imported gas? Stop scratching it.
Europe is already completely dependent on uranium supplies, because its uranium train went back to the distant 1970s, when the own deposits of Germany, the Czech Republic, France, Spain, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania were exhausted.

Now, according to the most conservative estimates, Europe needs about 21,000 tons natural uranium. In Europe, no more than 3% of this amount is mined, that is, pitiful 600 tons.

The remaining reserves of European uranium amount to about 50,000 tons. Across all countries. For example, France has 100 tons of uranium - with the country's annual need for uranium amounting to about 9,220 tons.

Germany no longer has its own uranium. And, even taking into account the shutdown of power units, Germany needs about 1,800 tons of it per year. Pichalka. And Germany also does not have sensible colonies, like France. Namibia was taken away from the Germans after World War I. But if Germany had had a short-shafted Rossing mine, everything could have turned out completely differently.
But now there is someone in the world who can buy uranium besides Germany. And Germany was asked to deal with wind and sun. And breathe deeper.

Let's look at another island of the "flat western world". To Japan.
And again a similar situation. There is a nuclear island, but there is no nuclear fuel. Japan's own reserves are also described by the sad figure of 6,600 tons. And the country's need for the year is about 7,500 tons of uranium. Well, as a need..., in general, such a need. There is no longer any need, everything is gone.
The Japanese failed to mine uranium in Kazakhstan, but I’ll tell you about Canada and Australia below. Well, I think you’ve already read above about France, which was a supplier of uranium to Japan. There is no uranium in France; it would be enough to subdivide the colony ourselves.

The third island of the "flat world". USA.
The most interesting player.
So far, 207,000 tons of uranium seem to be in American reserves, that is, in the depths. But - as many as 104 commercial reactors are in operation. Almost the same as on the “Europe Island”. Accordingly, uranium consumption is at a level of 20,000 tons natural uranium per year. As a result, we have to buy uranium from wherever possible.

In fact, the US produces even less of its own uranium than shown in the diagram - no more than 5% of consumed or about 1,000 tons per year. The figure of 14.2% was obtained taking into account the dilution of our own weapons-grade uranium from US stockpiles.

Russia’s share in the US uranium balance in the top diagram is also disingenuous, since, in fact, Russian HEU, diluted LEU of various origins gives about 38% need in reactor uranium in the USA itself. Because, as we remember, only enriched uranium burns in reactors, and natural uranium last burned on Earth about 2 billion years ago.

Yes, in fact, the United States has less in total nuclear generation than Europe has - only about 20.3%. But they also cannot refuse to generate electricity at nuclear power plants, because, in fact, this is the cheapest generation. I didn’t say it, the EIA wrote about it.

Here is a chart where all the moves are recorded:

Somehow everything is harsh there with the pixels at the purple dots...

In general, the United States has its own uranium for about 10 years of reactor operation, and, like Europe and Japan, it has to be bought all over the world. True, Japan and Germany are already buying less uranium, so, as a certain comrade said, “the process has begun, it just needs to be expanded and deepened.”

Well, now - about the main thing.
About what this whole flat Western nuclear world is based on. About Canadian elephants and the Australian tortoise.

Let's start with the turtle. She's big, beautiful and clumsy
She's called Olympic Dam— Olympic Dam:

Meet the largest uranium deposit in the world.

Each mineral has such a unique object. For oil this is Gavar, for gas - Urengoy and Severny, for gold - Grasberg.
For uranium, this is the Olympic Dam.

The deposit is unique. Uranium is actually mined there, like by-product. And basically the Dam works on the extraction of silver, gold and copper. There is a demand for gold, copper and silver - it is possible to extract a little uranium as well. Well, just a little - about 55% of the total uranium production in all of Australia, or about 3,300 tons of uranium per year. There is no demand for "redhead" - no uranium. It is useless to carry money, neither in the morning nor in the evening - chairs (uranium) are issued strictly at the rate of extraction of precious metals and copper.

3,800 tons per year? What the hell is this, the attentive reader may ask? This wouldn’t be enough for Japan, not to mention Europe or the USA! Why a turtle?

But because in the “turtle” there is about 996,000 tons of uranium. They calculated the deposit to a depth of about 1,000 meters, and then, as in the case of coal, they decided that it would be completely indecent to count deeper. But the ore body goes to deeper levels, it’s just unlikely that miners will ever get there in the near foreseeable future.

It is easy to calculate that the dam contains about 60% of Australia's explored uranium and about 18.5% of all world uranium reserves.
But it is almost impossible to extract this uranium any faster than at a rate of 3,300 tons per year.

The problem is that in Australia there is Greenpeace and Bellona rolled into one. More precisely, in one face.

If the indigenous Australians wanted to somehow take evil revenge on the white people, they would hardly be able to come up with something more destructive than this homeless-looking old man:

Kevin Buzzacott, elder and activist.

Yes, Australians listen to this grandfather. And their grandfather tells them about a “nuclear-free future,” ecology and “traditions of Australian ancestors.” Probably these are the traditions in which his ancestors in Australia left nothing larger than a kangaroo and built a wonderful civilization of boomerang, digging stick and scorched savannah.

And so, in general, the fact remains that grandfather organized active resistance to the Olympic Dam expansion project and achieved its postponement, completely shut down the Jabiluka mine project in Northern Australia, and was seen at a dozen more uranium industry sites in Australia. The homeless man tries and puffs with all his might, for which he was awarded the Order of Lenin by the progressive community with various international awards.

Who needs his activity and why is an open question for me. Probably, uranium will be needed by the next generations of Australian aborigines, who will be able to once again enjoy the joys of boomerangs, caves and 90% of child mortality. "Uncle Kev" will show the way to a brighter past within the framework of a "separate cave."

In the meantime, Australia is producing about 6,000 tons of uranium per year and is unlikely to be able to produce more. Well, if “Uncle Kev” becomes prime minister, he will probably curtail the extraction of minerals from the subsoil. In short, there is an idea of ​​who to move forward in Australia. Although these comrades themselves swim to the top quite well.

Now - about Canadian elephants.
The first Canadian elephant is named McArthur River. This single mine now produces about 14.5% of the world's uranium production - or 7,686 tons of uranium in 2011. Enough for Japan. Now that's enough for the USA.
The remaining reserves of the mine are about 140,000 tons of uranium, but McArthur River's main trump card is the uranium content of the rock, which is 15-16%.
By comparison, the rock in Plotina contains only 0.05% uranium. That is, the Canadian elephant can mine uranium in any situation, and the Australian tortoise can only mine at high prices, and then only together with copper, gold and silver.

The second Canadian elephant is smaller, but also contributes a significant 2.7% to the world production. It's called Rabbit Lake. Previously, it was similar to the first Canadian elephant - both in size and uranium content in the rock, but over 35 years of operation (1975-2011), the uranium content in the rock dropped from 5% to 0.73%, and the remaining reserves are only about 11,000 tons of uranium. In general, the elephant did a great job, it’s time to retire. Considering that the second elephant produces about 1,460 tons of uranium, the reserves there will last for about 8-9 years.

Everyone has been waiting and is still waiting for the third elephant, which is called Cigar Lake. This elephant also contains about 90,000 tons Canadian uranium and this ore is even richer than at McArthur River, the percentage of uranium in the rock is 17.4%. The problem is that the third Canadian elephant lives deep under the lake and because of this it has already drowned twice (the mine is constantly flooded and the start-up dates are postponed) - once in October 2006, and the second time in June 2008.
They waited for the elephant so intensely and earnestly that all the waiters had already eaten, and the uranium waited and waited, and swelled up exactly by 2007:

In general, it was not oil alone that created the life-giving crisis of September 2008. Uranium was also a mess.

Well, the attentive reader will say. But, if in fact everything in the world is so sad and neglected with the rapid production of cheap natural uranium, then what is the author advocating for us? For the continuation of a sovereign banquet on 1/6 of the inhabited landmass for another 20-25 years?

No.
Our time has come, comrades. May Day is already on our street, and the holiday of common labor is in full swing.

And Russia has something to say to the world about this. Russia does not run around the world; Russia has its own uranium. There is Russian, there is Kazakh, there is Ukrainian uranium. There are about 500,000 tons uranium in enrichment tails. There is weapons-grade uranium and there is weapons-grade plutonium. In general, there is a lot of things.

But the main answer is not natural uranium. It's just finally time closed nuclear fuel cycle. Stop being afraid, gentlemen. It's time to climb into the back. After all, everyone signed up for milk mushrooms back in the 1970s.

The world no longer stands on the Australian tortoise and Canadian elephants.
And the world is not a flat plate with “nuclear islands” of the USA, Europe and Japan. The world is a ball where there is no center and everyone is somehow tied to each other. The threads begin to move.

The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in the southeast of the country may have one of the largest uranium deposits on the planet.

According to a study conducted by the Indian National Atomic Energy Research Committee, reserves at the Tumalapale mine in the Kadapa district could reach 150 thousand tons. The total volume of India's uranium reserves is approximately 175 thousand tons.

According to the head of the committee, Shrikumar Banerjee, a preliminary study has confirmed the presence of at least 49 thousand tons of the mineral in Thumalapal.

However, according to preliminary estimates, this is only a third of the reserves of this deposit, which theoretically makes it one of the largest uranium mines in the world.

Moreover, Banerjee said that the field is spread over an area of ​​more than 35 square kilometers and exploration work is ongoing.

However, according to many analysts, even if the announced data is confirmed, these reserves are not enough to meet India's energy needs. This is confirmed by the Indian authorities.

“The discovery will only partially fill the need for natural uranium,” one of the local newspapers quotes Banerjee. “We still need imported uranium.”

Over the next 30 years, Indian authorities plan to build about 30 nuclear reactors and by 2050 expect to use them to generate a quarter of the electricity needed by the state.

Uranium mining in the world

Uranium is the most energy-rich fuel that can be used with modern technical capabilities. A few kilograms of uranium can generate as much electrical and thermal energy as tons of coal and oil or thousands of cubic meters of gas.

Uranium is a very heavy silvery-white lustrous metal. In its pure form, it is slightly softer than steel, malleable, and flexible. Chemically, uranium is very active: it quickly oxidizes in air, becoming covered with a rainbow film of oxide. Water can corrode metal: slowly at low temperatures and quickly at high temperatures. When shaken vigorously, the metal particles of uranium begin to glow. There is approximately 1000 times more uranium in the earth's crust than gold, 30 times more than silver, and almost as much as lead and zinc. Uranium is characterized by significant dispersion in rocks, soils, and water of seas and oceans. Only a relatively small part is concentrated in deposits where the uranium content is hundreds of times higher than its average content in the earth's crust.

When mining ores with a uranium content of 0.1%, to obtain 1 ton of uranium oxide U3O8, it is necessary to extract approximately 1000 tons of ore from the subsoil, not counting the colossal amount of waste rock from opening and tunneling excavations. Such a huge mass of ore is best processed and enriched in the immediate vicinity of the mine. Currently, it is considered economically feasible to process ores with a uranium oxide content of 0.05–0.07%. Complex processing of uranium ores with the associated extraction of other valuable components (phosphorus, vanadium, sulfur, molybdenum, iron, copper, gold, rare earth elements) is increasingly being introduced into practice.

Uranium ore is extracted mainly by either a mine or a quarry method, depending on the depth of the ore layers. In 2005, underground mines accounted for 38% of the mass of uranium mined in the world, open deposits (quarries) - 30%, 21% of uranium was extracted by underground leaching, and another 11% was obtained as a by-product during the development of other types of minerals.

With the technology of underground leaching of uranium ores, which is considered advanced, natural uranium compounds are selectively dissolved directly in the ore by a special chemical reagent pumped into the formation. Then this solution is brought to the surface and further processed.

During underground leaching, an ore deposit is opened by a system of wells located in plan in rows, polygons, and rings. A solvent is fed into the wells, which, filtering through the formation, leaches useful components. A solution saturated with uranium compounds is pumped to the surface through other wells. In the case of monolithic impenetrable ore bodies, the deposit is opened by underground mining, and individual ore blocks are crushed using drilling and blasting.
Then, on the upper horizon, the massif is irrigated with a solvent, which, flowing down, dissolves the mineral. At the lower horizon, solutions are collected and pumped to the surface for processing.

Uranium ores have been mined using underground leaching since 1957. This technology is especially widespread in the USA, Kazakhstan1 and Uzbekistan, where all ore is mined this way.

Uranium reserves in 2007
(tons)

Uranium production in 2009 (tU) according to
World Nuclear Association