FS to reopen first Indigenous uranium mine after two decades
The Federated States oldest productive uranium mine will be reopened under a plan to resume mining the resource in the state of Harrisbourg.
The Onwu Administration is restarting uranium mining, after the Assembly passed a law earlier this year ending a long-standing ban, and hopes to exploit reserves worth about 50 billion dands, including 20 billion in the state's southwest.
Uranium mining was banned in the Federated States in 1992, but it hasn't been mined since 1989 when the old Springfield mine, near Mount Dale, ceased production.
On Wednesday the Energy Minister Patrick Iehu said the administration will reopen the mine next week after the Habarukh celebration, saying the uranium industry promised to create new jobs and economic opportunities for the country.
Iehu said the industry would be subjected to a robust framework to ensure future mines met the world's best environmental protection and safety standards.
New Secretary for Mining Henri Zola said the ban, imposed in the 1990s, was "purely ideological", and it was time for the nation to reap the benefits of its reserves. He urged the newly elected National-led House not to seek to fight the lifting of the ban.
Companies can now submit tenders to reopen the Springfield mine, with other sites expected to follow.
Zola said applications for uranium mining projects would be assessed by the Harrisbourg's environment minister, with environmental assessments and approvals to be jointly completed by both the state and federal governments.
Uranium will be exported through existing licensed ports in Waltham and Bolton Bay. There are no ports in the country licensed yet for the export of uranium.
He said uranium would only be exported to countries that have a bilateral agreement with the Federated States and only for peaceful purposes or nuclear energy production and waste disposal plants won't be permitted.
"We want the community to know our framework includes strict environmental, health and safety standards to ensure safe handling and transportation," Zola said.
"It is now up to industry to decide when to lodge applications for uranium mining and those decisions will be influenced by a number of factors including global commodity prices, market supply and demand and mining costs.
