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The Ranger Uranium Mine was a uranium mine in the Northern Territory of Australia. The site is surrounded by, but separate from Kakadu National Park, 230 km east of Darwin. The orebody was discovered in late 1969, and the mine commenced operation in 1980, reaching full production of uranium oxide in 1981 and ceased production on 8 January 2021. It was operated by Energy Resources of Australia, a 68% subsidiary of Rio Tinto Group. Uranium mined at Ranger was sold for use in nuclear power stations in Asia, Europe and North America.
The Rössing Uranium Mine in Namibia is the longest-running and one of the largest open pit uranium mines in the world. It is located in the Namib Desert near the town of Arandis, 70 kilometres from the coastal town of Swakopmund. Discovered in 1928, the Rössing mine started operations in 1976. In 2005, it produced 3,711 tonnes of uranium oxide, becoming the fifth-largest uranium mine with 8 per cent of global output. Namibia is the world's fourth-largest exporter of uranium.
Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2019 amounted to 53,656 tonnes. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia were the top three uranium producers, respectively, and together account for 68% of world production. Other countries producing more than 1,000 tonnes per year included Namibia, Niger, Russia, Uzbekistan, the United States, and China. Nearly all of the world's mined uranium is used to power nuclear power plants.
Paladin Energy Ltd is a Western Australian based uranium production company.
Uranium ore deposits are economically recoverable concentrations of uranium within the Earth's crust. Uranium is one of the more common elements in the Earth's crust, being 40 times more common than silver and 500 times more common than gold. It can be found almost everywhere in rock, soil, rivers, and oceans. The challenge for commercial uranium extraction is to find those areas where the concentrations are adequate to form an economically viable deposit. The primary use for uranium obtained from mining is in fuel for nuclear reactors.
The Cigar Lake Mine is a large high-grade underground uranium mine, located in the uranium-rich Athabasca Basin of northern Saskatchewan, Canada. The deposit, discovered in 1981, is second in size of high-grade deposits only to the nearby McArthur River mine. Other deposits, such as Olympic Dam in Australia, contain more uranium but at lower grades.
Mining is the biggest contributor to Namibia's economy in terms of revenue. It accounts for 25% of the country's income. Its contribution to the gross domestic product is also very important and makes it one of the largest economic sectors of the country. Namibia produces diamonds, uranium, copper, magnesium, zinc, silver, gold, lead, semi-precious stones and industrial minerals. The majority of revenue comes from diamond mining. In 2014, Namibia was the fourth-largest exporter of non-fuel minerals in Africa.
Lake Way is a dry saline lake located in the Mid West region of Western Australia, approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) south of Wiluna. It also gives its name to a nearby cattle station, the Lake Way Station.
The Tummalapalle Mine is a uranium mine in Tumalapalli village located in Kadapa of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Results from research conducted by the Atomic Energy Commission of India in 2011 made the analysts conclude that this mine might have one of the largest reserves of uranium in the world.
Uranium mining in Namibia is of considerable importance to the national economy. In 2018, Namibia produced 10% of uranium worldwide, ranked as the 4th largest producer, behind Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia.
The world's largest producer of uranium is Kazakhstan, which in 2019 produced 43% of the world's mining output. Canada was the next largest producer with a 13% share, followed by Australia with 12%. Uranium has been mined in every continent except Antarctica.
Nuclear energy in Namibia is a topic of geopolitical interest but is currently not an infrastructure concern. There are no nuclear power plants in Namibia. There is potential interest in the country's nuclear power capacities, as Namibia is the world's fourth-largest uranium producer.
The Langer Heinrich mine (LHM) is a large open pit mine located in the western part of Namibia in the Erongo Region. Langer Heinrich represents one of the largest uranium reserves in Namibia having estimated reserves of 57,000 tonnes of ore grading 0.055% uranium. The Langer Heinrich mine is currently owned by Paladin Energy Ltd with a 75% stake and CNNC Overseas Uranium Holding Ltd with a 25% stake. Paladin Energy sold the 25% to the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) in 2014 for a reported $190 million.
The Norasa uranium project comprises the Valencia and Namibplaas deposits in Erongo Region in the western part of Namibia. The two parts are 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) apart and both are fully owned by Forsys Metals. It represents one of the largest uranium resources in Namibia, having an estimated resource of 48,200 tU in ore grading 0.014-0.0167% uranium. The Valencia deposit was named after the farm where the uranium deposits were found.
The Etango mine is a proposed open pit mine located in the western part of Namibia in Erongo Region. Etango represents one of the largest uranium reserves in Namibia, having estimated reserves of 46,000 tonnes of Uranium in 455.7 million tonnes of ore grading 0.0165% uranium.
The Omahola project consists of several uraniferous magnetite deposits located in the western part of Namibia in Erongo Region. Ongalo represents a uranium resource having estimated 17,400 tU in ore grading 0.036% uranium.
The Reptile project is an exploratory development of uranium deposits in the Erongo Region of western of Namibia run by Deep Yellow Limited. It includes prospecting areas known as Tubas-Tumas and Tubas Red Sand. Tubas-Tumas has estimated reserves of 22.7 million tonnes of ore grading 0.03% uranium. Tubas Red Sand has estimated reserves of 90.8 million tonnes of ore grading 0.012% uranium.
The Aussinanis project is a uranium deposit located in the western part of Namibia in Erongo Region. Aussinanis represents a uranium reserve estimated at 34.88 million tonnes of ore grading 0.02% uranium.
The Husab Mine, also known as the Husab Uranium Project, is a uranium mine near the town of Swakopmund in the Erongo region of western-central Namibia. The mine is located approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) from Walvis Bay. The Husab Mine is expected to be the second largest uranium mine in the world after the McArthur River uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan, Canada and the largest open-pit mine on the African continent. Mine construction started in 2014. The Husab Mine started production towards the end of 2016 after completion of the sulfuric acid leaching plant.
References
- ↑ "Uranium in Namibia". World Nuclear Association. May 2018. Retrieved 5 October 2018.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
- ↑ "Marenica Uranium Project – Namibia". Marenica Energy Limited. Retrieved 15 October 2018.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
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