De nada @piterloskot
En septiembre se publica el PFS de Wheeler River. A ver qué info aporta Denison. Pero tras anunciar está compra a Cameco, algo bueno debe haber.
Por otro lado, Energy Fuels ha publicado más información sobre la reclamación 232 que os dejo integra.
Why not produce more uranium?
A heap of yellow uranium cakes.
A heap of yellow uranium cakes.
GETTY IMAGES
PAUL GORANSON | CALLER-TIMES | 19 hours ago
It is no surprise that uranium production policy in the U.S. is now under great scrutiny. This vital national security issue certainly warrants the U.S. Department of Commerce investigation that is now underway.
Earlier this year, Energy Fuels Resources (USA) Inc. and Ur-Energy USA Inc. petitioned Commerce to investigate the effects of uranium imports on national security under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Commerce began its investigation in July, taking a major step toward safeguarding our national security and ensuring that no nation gains the power to hold the U.S. hostage to its geopolitical goals.
It may surprise many Americans that today we produce very little of our own uranium — used essentially for carbon-free electricity and our nuclear defense system. As the world’s largest consumer of uranium, the U.S. in 2017 produced only 5 percent of the uranium needed to supply 20 percent of our nation’s electricity, representing nearly 60 percent of our clean, zero-carbon electricity. As recently as 1987, the U.S. produced 49 percent of our nuclear fuel requirements!
Here in Texas, we have a proud 60-year history of mining more than 8 million pounds of uranium (primarily in South Texas). When uranium mining is active, Energy Fuels’ Alta Mesa operation, located in Brooks and Jim Hogg Counties, boosts employment and economic activity by providing 261 total jobs, representing $17 million in payroll and generating more than $3 million in state and local tax revenue, particularly valuable to our poorer, more rural communities.
Today, our Texas uranium mines are virtually silent, as we await a more sound nuclear energy policy from the U.S. government.
Instead, state-owned enterprises in Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have flooded the U.S. with government-subsidized, cheap uranium and nuclear fuel, currently supplying about one-third of U.S. demand. That percentage is only expected to rise as our close allies in countries like Australia and Canada significantly reduce their production in response to market pressure from Russia and its allies. Our markets are being targeted as well from state-owned enterprises in China.
Considering that international law mandates domestically sourced uranium for military and defense purposes, our country’s perilous position becomes abundantly clear.
Not surprisingly, the Department of Energy reported to Congress in 2015 that key government and military programs may run out of uranium as soon as the mid-2020s.
We ask this question: Why have we allowed our rivals to seize control of a large portion of our energy infrastructure, particularly from Russia and its allies? We encourage Commerce to find out and to share its findings with the American public. And we encourage our federal and state leaders to work together to construct a safer, more secure uranium policy that does not threaten our energy and defense independence.
We have proposed sensible solutions to the challenges facing our energy infrastructure. We recommend a quota that would, in effect, reserve 25 percent of the U.S. market for domestic uranium and implement a “Buy American” policy for government agencies that use uranium. These are the least onerous solutions to a looming national crisis and come with a negligible cost. The benefits to our national and energy security are incalculable.
The Commerce investigation is only the first step toward addressing this perilous situation. We must continue to inform the public about the importance of domestic uranium mining — as our greatest source of carbon-free electricity and a key component of our national defense.
Let’s continue to bring this issue out into the open where it belongs. You can visit the petition at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=BIS-2018-0011 and submit your remarks by the Sept. 25 deadline.
Paul Goranson is chief operating officer of EFR Alta Mesa LLC (an Energy Fuels company).