May 23, 2012: Protest against Wiluna uranium mine project outside state EPA offices (West Australia)
May 22, 2012: Collect specimens and clone later : West Australian style of protection of endangered species facing extinction by proposed Wiluna uranium mine...(!)
May 21, 2012: Workers on strike at Bandugurang uranium mine (Jharkhand, India)
May 21, 2012: State EPA recommends approval of Wiluna uranium mine project - new plant species discovered on site in danger of extinction (Western Australia)
May 19, 2012: Uranium Resources, Inc. can resume Kingsville Dome in situ leach operations after cleaning groundwater, judge rules (Texas)
May 19, 2012: U.S. EPA declines to certify state's aquifer exemption for Goliad uranium in situ leach project (Texas)
May 18, 2012: U.S. NRC issues Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact for revised dose calculations at Honeywell Metropolis conversion plant (Illinois)
May 17, 2012: Protest outside Queensland parliament against push for uranium mining in the state (Australia)
May 15, 2012: Draft Environmental Impact Statement for La Jara Mesa Mine Project available for comment (New Mexico)
May 15, 2012: Operation of Honeywell Metropolis uranium conversion plant halted for unplanned repairs (Illinois)
May 15, 2012: Shutdown of Paducah gaseous diffusion enrichment plant deferred for one year -- to re-enrich depleted uranium for military purposes (Kentucky)
May 15, 2012: Uranium hexafluoride cylinders mixed up at Comurhex Pierrelatte conversion plant (France)
May 14, 2012: Uranium discharges from Rabbit Lake (highest by far in Canada) showed increase rather than the predicted decrease in 2010 (Saskatchewan)
May 14, 2012: Western Australia's uranium tailings laws fall short, independent review finds
May 12, 2012: Protests against reopening of Sierra Pintada uranium mine (Argentina)
May 11, 2012: U.S. BLM seeking comment on the Juniper Ridge uranium exploration project (Wyoming)
May 11, 2012: U.S. utility to buy unneeded re-enriched uranium to keep Paducah gaseous diffusion enrichment plant busy, as U.S. DOE lacks budget for decommissioning (!)
May 11, 2012: Workers at Kayelekera uranium mine on strike over labour conditions (Malawi)
May 11, 2012: Areva condemned for lung cancer death of former employee at Akouta uranium mine in Niger
May 10, 2012: State solicits public comment on plan for collection of baseline data for proposed Cebolleta uranium mine (New Mexico)
May 10, 2012: Landscape threatened by Coles Hill uranium mine project listed on Virginia Preservation group's 2012 Endangered Historic Sites List (Virginia)
May 9, 2012: U.S. EPA revisits permit for Church Rock ISL uranium mine project (New Mexico)
May 8, 2012: State seeks comments on draft permit for disposal wells at Nichols Ranch in situ leach uranium mine (Wyoming)
May 8, 2012: 4000 signatures against uranium mining in Southwestern Poland
May 8, 2012: Construction start imminent for Husab uranium mine project - in spite of planned change of tailings disposal scheme; environmental concerns raised (Namibia)
May 7, 2012: Activists stop train carrying depleted uranium hexafluoride from Gronau (Germany) to France for deconversion
May 4, 2012: NIRB accepts revised draft EIS for Kiggavik project, issues call for Information Requests (Nunavut) (deadline extended )
May 4, 2012: Positive Prefeasibility Study announced for Kvanefjeld rare earth - uranium project (Greenland)
May 3, 2012: Shift of focus from uranium to rare earth elements announced for Eco Ridge mine project (Ontario)
May 2, 2012: Mining threatens biodiversity of Namib Desert, study finds (Namibia)
May 1, 2012: Construction of Ranger 3 Deeps exploration decline begins (Northern Territory, Australia)
May 1, 2012: U.S. DOE proposes to abandon groundwater cleanup at former Old Rifle uranium mill site for "technical impracticability" (Colorado)
April 30, 2012: U.S. DOE proposes relaxed groundwater standards for former New Rifle uranium mill site (Colorado)
April 27, 2012: U.S. NRC approves massive increase of amount of depleted UF6 stored onsite at Urenco USA enrichment plant (New Mexico)
April 27, 2012: Finnish regulator issues favourable opinion on expansion of Talvivaara Sotkamo uranium byproduct recovery project
April 27, 2012: 3,700 Wismut miners contracted lung cancer after Wismut stopped operations (Germany)
April 27, 2012: U.S. BLM announces availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Lost Creek Uranium In Situ Recovery Project (Wyoming)
April 26, 2012: India approves Kylleng-Pyndemsohiong-Mawthabah uranium mine project (Meghalaya)
April 26, 2012: U.S. NRC announces opportunity to comment, request a hearing and petition for leave to intervene on license transfer of former Bear Creek uranium mill site to DOE (Wyoming)
April 26, 2012: Husab uranium mine switches to wet tailings disposal scheme (Namibia)
April 26, 2012: Radiation report cites years of 'large' releases at former Apollo and Parks nuclear fuel plants (Pennsylvania)
April 26, 2012: Positive Scoping study announced for underground borehole mining with ablation for the Hansen uranium deposit (Colorado)
April 25, 2012: Strike halts construction work on Areva's Imouraren uranium mine project (Niger)
April 23, 2012: Toshiba invests into Madaouéla uranium mine project (Niger)
April 23, 2012: Japan's utilities fail to report plans for plutonium usage
April 22, 2012: Little progress still with cleanup of abandoned uranium mines on Navajo land
April 22, 2012: Mitsui Chemical Iwakuni-Ohtake plant on fire - depleted uranium stored on site (Japan)
April 21, 2012: Environmentalist resigns from board of South Africa's Nuclear Regulator over communities' exposure to radioactive mining waste
April 21, 2012: Area counties support on-site disposal of wastes generated from decommissioning of Portsmouth gaseous diffusion enrichment plant (Ohio)
April 20, 2012: Russian group bids for Ezulwini gold/uranium mine (South Africa)
April 20, 2012: Federal Court rejects move by Aboriginal elder to block Olympic Dam mine expansion (South Australia)
April 19, 2012: CNSC approves EA Screening Report for processing of McArthur River ore at McClean Lake mill (Saskatchewan)
April 19, 2012: Inauguration of Tummalapalle uranium mine and mill (Andhra Pradesh, India)
April 19, 2012: Ageing nuclear cargo ship Pacific Pintail brought back into service under new name - in spite of expected "PR difficulties" (United Kingdom)
April 19, 2012: Inkay in situ leach uranium mine seeks government approval for 33% production increase (Kazakhstan)
April 19, 2012: Revised Preliminary Economic Assessment announced for Dewey-Burdock uranium in situ leach project (South Dakota)
April 19, 2012: House Appropriations subcommittee approves $100 million for American Centrifuge project (Ohio)
April 18, 2012: Namibian government willing to take over Iran's shares in Rössing Uranium
April 18, 2012: Mohave County joins industry in lawsuit against uranium mining ban near Grand Canyon (Arizona)
April 18, 2012: U.S. NRC issues revised Regulatory Guide 4.20: Constraint on Releases of Airborne Radioactive Materials to the Environment for Licensees other than Power Reactors
April 18, 2012: U.S. NRC issues Regulatory Issues Summary on Policy Regarding Submittal of Amendments for Processing of Equivalent Feed at Licensed Uranium Recovery Facilities
April 18, 2012: Mohuldih uranium mine commissioned (Jharkhand, India)
April 17, 2012: Canada to "streamline" review process for major economic projects
April 17, 2012: Unauthorized mining continuing at former Shinkolobwe uranium mine, report (DR Congo)
April 17, 2012: Kyrgyzstan to reclaim Min-Kush and Kadzhi-Say tailings dumps
April 16, 2012: Alarming concentrations of Po-210 found in fish from pit lake of former Taboshar uranium mine (Tajikistan)
April 16, 2012: Nuclear Fuel Cycle closes for White Mesa Mill (Utah)...
April 16, 2012: Positive updated Preliminary Economic Assessment announced for Eco Ridge mine (Ontario)
April 15, 2012: Areva announces plan to submit revised draft EIS for Kiggavik project, while NIRB still hasn't managed to complete upload of first draft to its website - after almost four months (Nunavut)
April 15, 2012: Fish kill in West Khasi Hills rivers blamed on uranium exploration (Meghalaya, India)
April 14, 2012: Donation for restoration of Naturita Uranium Drive-In sign earns Energy Fuels glider flight over scenic Paradox Valley - the site of its proposed Piñon Ridge Uranium Mill (Colorado)...
April 13, 2012: China Guangdong Nuclear Power Holding Corp. new owner of Husab uranium mine project (Namibia)
April 13, 2012: IAEA issues Draft Safety Guide "Protection of the Public against Exposure Indoors due to Natural Sources of Radiation"
April 12, 2012: Violation of criticality rules at FBFC nuclear fuel fabrication plant (France)
April 11, 2012: Areva Richland nuclear fuel plant receives non-compliant cylinder with enriched UF6 from Urenco Gronau
April 11, 2012: CRIIRAD laboratory finds elevated radiation levels around Rössing uranium mine (Namibia)
April 10, 2012: U.S. NRC releases Homestake's updated corrective action plan for Grants uranium mill tailings site (New Mexico)
April 10, 2012: Positive results from Definitive Feasibility Study (DFS) reported for Etango Uranium Project - provided that uranium price increases significantly... (Namibia)
April 5, 2012: Contaminant concentrations in surficial aquifer at former Riverton uranium mill site remain high after 2010 flooding (Wyoming)
April 5, 2012: Activist denounces poor supervision of radon emissions from uranium mines near La Sal (Utah)
April 5, 2012: U.S. NRC to relax standards for acute intake of soluble uranium
April 5, 2012: Moab tailings relocation project to be scaled back due to funding issues (Utah)
April 5, 2012: CNSC to hold public hearing on the proposed Matoush Exploration Project (Québec) (deadline extended )
April 4, 2012: JNFL resumes construction of Rokkasho-mura MOX fuel fabrication plant (Japan)
April 3, 2012: International Isotopes Inc.'s depleted uranium deconversion plant in New Mexico obtains state air permit, allowing start of construction
April 3, 2012: Decision to mine announced for Lance uranium deposit (Wyoming)
April 1, 2012: Past uranium mining in Kazakhstan still causing elevated uranium concentrations in river water
April 1, 2012: Respirable uranium particles found on cypress leaves close to Comurhex Malvési uranium conversion plant (France)
> For older news, see the 2012 News Archive
[US$ per lb U3 O8 ]
[With JavaScript enabled, the current uranium prices will be shown here.]
(details )
Yellow Cake - The Dirt Behind Uranium , a film by Joachim Tschirner (2005 - 2010, 108 min.)
[English version now available as DVD]
2011 World Uranium Production (WNA)
Domestic Uranium Production Report 1st Quarter 2012 , May 2012 (U.S. DOE EIA)
CNSC 2010 Annual Report on Uranium Management Activities , May 2012 (Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission)
Draft Long-Term Surveillance Plan for the Split Rock, Wyoming, (UMTRCA Title II) Disposal Site
2011 Domestic Uranium Production Report , May 2012 (U.S. DOE EIA)
Special issue on the risks of exposure to low-level radiation , Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, May/June 2012, Vol. 68, No. 3
2011 Uranium Marketing Annual Report , U.S. DOE EIA, May 2012
Souhrnná informace o výsledcích monitoringu a stavu sloek ivotního prostředí,
DIAMO, s. p. za rok 2011 , 20 April 2012 (4.75MB - in Czech)
[Environmental monitoring report for the year 2011]
Strahlenexposition infolge bergbaubedingter Umweltradioaktivität -
Erläuterungen zur Berechnung mit den Berechnungsgrundlagen Bergbau , by Kümmel, M., BfS-SW-12/12, Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz (BfS), 23 April 2012 (in German )
[background information on calculation models and parameters used in the "Calculation Guide for the Determination of Radiation Exposure due to Mining-caused Environmental Radioactivity": English version · German version ]
Radionuclide Behavior in Soils and Soil-to-Plant Concentration Ratios for Assessing Food Chain Pathways, NUREG/CR-7120 , U.S. NRC, March 2012 (7 MB PDF )
Urenco: 2011 Annual Report and Accounts (6.8MB PDF )
Cameco: 2011 Annual Report
GOOD NEWS OF THE DAY
January 9, 2012: U.S. Interior Secretary signs Grand Canyon Mining Ban
DISASTER OF THE DAY
February 11, 2011: Wismut's water treatment plant capacity insufficient to handle effluent volume increase after heavy rains (Germany)
January 14, 2011: Yellow cake containers damaged in severe weather during shipment from Canada to China
January 14, 2011: Acidic mine water reaches Cradle of Humankind World Heritage Site (South Africa)
ISL SPILL OF THE DAY
Latest major spills and excursions reported from mines exploited by the in situ leach process
Crow Butte, Nebraska :
Oct. 7, 2011: Monitor well excursion
Smith Ranch, Wyoming :
Dec. 6, 2011: 1,779 gallon spill of injection fluid
Nov. 7, 2011: Leak in East Evaporation Pond
PRI Highland, Wyoming :
Mar. 10, 2012: 344 gallon spill of production fluid (4.1 ppm U)
Mar. 7, 2012: 774 gallon spill of injection fluid
Willow Creek (ex Christensen Ranch/Irigaray), Wyoming :
Apr. 20, 2012: 1,020 gallon spill of injection fluid (1.0 ppm U)
Apr. 12, 2012: Monitor well placed on excursion status
Apr. 3, 2012: Two monitor wells placed on excursion status
Mar. 29, 2012: Two monitor wells placed on excursion status
Beverley, South Australia :
Feb. 19, 2011: spill of 10,000 - 15,000 litres of injection solution (7 ppm U)
Honeymoon, South Australia :
Jan. 6, 2012: 30 cubic metre spill of injection solution (2 mg/L U3O8)
Oct. 25, 2011: 4 cubic metre spill of uranium oxide concentrate slurry
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"Two thirds of the earth's surface is water... the rest we can process"
(Motto of MDM Engineering Group Limited , contractor to gold/uranium miners Gold One International Ltd and Gold Fields Ltd)
"He [Namtumbo District Commissioner, Saveli Maketta] said when he first went to Namtumbo as DC [District Commissioner] he was surprised that people were playing with uranium which looks like salt, but later he learnt from experts that it was not harmful when raw."
(referring to the Mkuju River uranium mining project in Tanzania, in: DailyNews, Nov. 17, 2011)
"Interviewed, URANEX Public Relation Officer Nyero Godwin denied the allegations, contending that the type of uranium that would be extracted was in “salt form”, insisting that no person would be affected."
(referring to health problems, in particular from dust, attributed to uranium exploration performed by Uranex NL in Bahi and Manyoni districts , in: The Guardian, Tanzania, Oct. 8, 2011)
"the deputy minister for Energy and Minerals, Mr Adam Malima, said the mining activities would not have any impact on the people since the minerals would only be produced in their raw form"
(referring to uranium mining projects in Bahi and Manyoni districts in Tanzania, in: The Citizen, August 15, 2011)
"With regard to tailings, tailings are in fact a potential future resource so I think there's a considerable incentive to manage the tailings in a very good way with that in mind."
(Michael Angwin of the Australian Uranium Association referring to the uranium mill tailings from a proposed expansion of the Olympic Dam uranium mine, ABC Aug. 5, 2011)
"Another woman said Arizona Mine Inspector Joe Hart of Kingman told her the mining process would make the environment cleaner."
(Mohave Daily News, July 7, 2011, reporting on meeting of Mohave County Board of Supervisors, before it voted to support rather than ban uranium mining near the Grand Canyon )
"No, that's not radioactive, you can't say that. This is water that indeed contains radium, a certain number of products [...]"
(François Sublime, technical director of Areva's subsidiary COMUF responsible for reclamation of the Mounana uranium mine site, Gabon, referring to the water covering the uranium mill tailings dam; RFI May 28, 2011)
"Mining is a 24 hour operation and cannot be stopped as a result of a shortage of available dust masks"
(Johan De Bruin, geology superintendent of Paladin's Kayelekera uranium mine in Malawi, Nyasa Times Sep. 25, 2010)
"at the mine we focus on production matters"
(Mr. Werner Duvenhage, Managing Director Langer Heinrich , Paladin Energy Africa, September 2010, in an email communication with WISE Amsterdam, denying request for information and site visit)
"We're taking the uranium out of the ground, we're exporting it to be used for productive purposes, so we should be getting a medal for cleaning up the environment."
(Neville Huxham, Malawi country director for Paladin Energy Africa, operator of the Kayelekera uranium mine, IPS Aug. 24, 2009)
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