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www.geoenergyconsult.com
Radioactivity & Mining Newsletter 6-2023
Dear Reader,
Here's your monthly overview of relevant news in Policy, Economy and Technology. Developments in these - often interdependent - fundamental categories can be essential for mining/processing projects and operations affected by Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material: Uranium, Rare-Earths or any other potentially affected commodity like Phosphates, Tantalum/Niobium etc. - if associated with NORM.
It almost seems like a thriller - in the meantime rare earths producer Lynas has been granted to continue operation of its processing plant in Malaysia until January 2024. However, as the shut-down of the plant remains foreseeable, Lynas still has to look for replacement capacity.
Feel free to forward this Newsletter to further specialists. We aim to publish the next issue in about a month - provided sufficient relevant content to be linked to will be available. Enjoy reading!
Best regards,
Dr. Hagen Gunther Jung
PS: due to a system update of our IT provider the links of the last issue could not have been functional and it might become necessary to repeat any relevant action wished. |
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Iluka says a deal between the US and Australia to co-operate in the race to secure the key minerals is a once in a generation opportunity to boost Australia’s refining capacity.
The CNSC revoked the mine licence of Orano for the fully decommissioned Cluff Lake mine, clearing the way to transfer the site back to the Province of Saskatchewan - a first for any modern uranium mine in Canada.
MALAYSIAN authorities granted a six-month extension to Australia miner Lynas Rare Earths to get its rare earth plant in line with environmental requirements until January 2024.
The general agreement covers the Imouraren project, the continued operation of the Somaïr mine, the remediation of the Cominak mine, and Orano's social commitment in Niger.
China is threatening an export ban on rare earth metals in response to Washington’s recent decision to impose restrictions on exports of high-end semiconductors to Beijing.
New tax credit bill seeks to challenge China’s dominance in the processing of critical minerals.
Poor results from a sustained effort at prospecting at three sites in Saudi Arabia could put a hold on Saudi plans for uranium enrichment or downstream development. |
| See here what GeoEnergy Consult can do for you. |
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In the past few years, many new REE projects have been developed worldwide to replenish the market, and thus are changing the supply chains. This study establishes a new database of REE projects.
Following a demand pop in 2021 data indicate that global consumption of NdFeB magnets increased just 1.9% in 2022. Nevertheless, from 2023 through 2040 we forecast that global demand will increase by 7.5%.
The Company signed a binding joint venture agreement for its Richard Lake Property in Ontario, Canada with Great Northern Energy Metals Inc., a well-capitalized private British Columbia-registered company.
Kazatomprom’s unit, one of the world’s top beryllium, tantalum and niobium miners, will will be tasked with determining the potential of the Verkhny Irgiz deposit, for which Ulba has an exploration licence.
The firm has made at least one investment from the fund so far — a $50 million infusion to mining company Torngat Metals Ltd. to extract rare earth oxides.
State-owned Chinese resources developers are expanding production of rare-earth metals in response to higher government quotas. |
| See here how GeoEnergy Consult manages NORM. |
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SRC is constructing North America’s first fully integrated, commercial, demonstration rare earth processing facility with hydrometallurgy, separation and metal smelting stages, expected to be operational in late 2024.
“Without a reducing agent, you can’t have ore”. One possible reducing agent is graphite, a more likely reducing agent is methane gas.
China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has commissioned a seawater uranium extraction test platform, said to be the largest such test platform to be built in the South China Sea.
Remediation works at Mailuu-Suu are set to begin following the allocation of a grant of EUR23 million (USD25 million) from the Environmental Remediation Account for Central Asia (ERA).
All the uranium produced in the USA during the first quarter was from in-situ leach (ISL) operations. But production from conventional mills as well as ISL looks set to ramp up over the coming months.
The cell walls of magnetotactic bacteria are surrounded by an external membrane composed of sugars and fat-like components: potential docking sites for uranium.
A number of smelting processes are developed like low temperature sulphuric acid roasting of mixed concentrates, magnesium bicarbonate smelting, combined acid–base decomposition.
The project in central New South Wales comprises a long life, high-grade scalable resource that could produce up to 40 tonnes per annum of scandium oxide, for an estimated period of 30 years. |
About GeoEnergy Consult
Throughout the life-cycle GeoEnergy Consult supports Operators, Investors or Regulators in managing Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) – from planning over operation until closure.
We provide Technology Consulting [Radiation Safety, Environmental Impact Asssessment/ Radioecological Monitoring, Waste/Residues Management, Decontamination, Decommissioning/Remediation] as well as Strategic Consulting [Document/Data Review, Feasibility Assessment, Permitting Support, Stakekeholder Engagement, Policy Support, Compliance Verification/Auditing] – from conceptualization on and optionally including engineering/realisation of developed solutions.
Should any question arise feel free to contact us. |
| The opinions stated in the linked news are not necessarily those of GeoEnergy Consult or its staff/partners. In case of any illegal or unethical content we distance ourselves from that. |
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