New Uranium Mining Projects - Czech Republic 
(last updated 17 Nov 2012)
General ·
Osečná-Kotel ·
Stráž pod Ralskem ·
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Operating Mines ·
Decommissioning Projects ·
Legislation & Regulations
> See also Data for:
Deposits, Proposed and Active Mines ·
Old Mines and Decommissioning
The following companies are performing uranium prospection and/or exploration in
the Czech Republic:
Kaboko Mining Ltd 
(formerly Uran Ltd)
Uranium mining in the Czech Republic is opposed by Calla ,
Strana Zelených Janův Důl ,
Naše Podještědí
Uranium exploration permit denied in Ploužnice oblast:
On Nov. 15, 2012, the Czech Ministry of Environment rejected the request by Urania Mining to establish an exploration area to search for uranium in the Ploužnice oblast in the Liberec region (North Bohemia). Exploration was planned in Ploužnice pod Ralskem and Hradčany nad Ploučnicí.
(Naše Podještědí Nov. 15, 2012)
Czech government considers new uranium mines in South Moravia and near Liberec
The Czech government proposes to assess the possibility of uranium mining at Brzkov and Horní Věžnice near Jihlava (South Moravia). In addition, in situ leach mining of uranium is considered in the Liberec region (North Bohemia).
But environmental association Calla warned that uranium mining causes environmental problems and will be very costly.
(ČTK July 19, 2012)
Russia's Rosatom ready to mine uranium in Czech Republic
Russian nuclear consortium Rosatom is ready to participate in uranium mining projects in the Czech Republic, its president Sergey Kiriyenko announced on Monday (Oct. 24).
(RIA Novosti Oct. 24, 2011)
From 1946 to 1989, the Soviet Union had mined a total of approx. 100,000 t U in then Czechoslovakia. The Czech government is still struggling to reclaim the environmental legacy from this period, see details.
Updated Czech Energy Concept promotes resumption of uranium mining
The Updated Czech Energy Concept released by the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) on Oct. 13, 2009, calls for the resumption of uranium mining in the Czech republic "to enhance energy security, self-sufficiency and keep the energy import dependency at an acceptable level".
> View MPO release / download Energy Concept (in Czech)
The current policy, on the contrary, foresees the shutdown of the last uranium mine at Rožná within three years.
On Apr. 23, 2008, a Czech town council turned down an Australian mining company's call that it be allowed to launch exploration for reserves of uranium in return for a cash windfall.
Přibyslav councillors rejected an offer from Australian company Uran Ltd for it to be allowed to explore what are believed to be rich uranium deposits in the centre of the country, the ČTK news agency reported.
The Australian company offered 800,000 koruna (31,000 euros, 46,300 US dollars) a year while exploration work continued and 1.6 million koruna a year when commercial mining commenced. It wanted council backing in order to overturn previous environment ministry rejections of its exploration bids.
Přibyslav was one of the company's main targets because around 7,500 tonnes of uranium is believed to be present at nearby Brzkov.
(AFP Apr. 23, 2008)
On Jan. 4, 2008, Uran Ltd announced that the Czech Ministry of Environment has declined Uran Ltd's Brzkov exploration license application. Uran Ltd has lodged an appeal against the decision.
On July 24, 2007, Uran Ltd announced that trial sorting of waste rock produced from the former Příbram uranium mines is planned to commence in early August 2007.
Over 80,000 tonnes of U3O8 was produced from Příbram underground mines between 1957 and 1984. Ore and waste rock were crushed underground during mining at Příbram, and about 60 million tonnes of crushed waste rock were deposited in a number of surface dumps around Příbram.
Historical records suggest that two of these dumps, each of about 5 million tonnes, may contain elevated levels of uranium due to sorting procedures at the time.
Czech company EcoInvest s.r.o. currently sorts waste material derived from the Příbram mines through its ore crushing and sorting facility at Příbram to produce road gravel, after extraction of radioactive material which is currently treated as waste. Uran Limited has agreed with EcoInvest to carry out trial sorting of a 10,000 cubic metre parcel of waste rock to evaluate the potential for commercial production of a uranium-bearing concentrate.
Agreement in principle has been reached with state enterprise Diamo to toll treat any economic concentrates produced from sorting at Příbram, through Diamo's Rožná uranium plant.
> View decommissioning issues
Residents outraged about government proposal for restart of in situ leach uranium mining at Stráž pod Ralskem, seek legal ban
The residents of the Podještědí area are outraged about the government's plan to renew uranium mining near Stráž pod Ralskem. They fear that it would ruin the landscape and threaten groundwater. The local mayors want to prevent the return of uranium in situ leaching.
The resumption of extraction is considered in a several weeks old government document called Raw Material Policy of the Czech Republic. It considers the area highly prospective for uranium. "It is clear that the largest amount of reserves are located in deposits at Hamr na Jezeře, Podještědí, Osečná-Kotel and Břevniště pod Ralskem," it is said in the government document.
Representatives of [local] governments and mining opponents now want to initiate a law that would not allow the return of in situ leaching in the surroundings of Stráž pod Ralskem.
Mayors and mining opponents are concerned that the government approved the document without consulting residents and representatives of the communities.
(iDNES Aug. 23, 2012)
> Download Naše Podještědí press release Aug. 22, 2012 (PDF - in Czech)
> View Energy policy website : Uranium mining (in Czech)
> Download Mineral Policy (PDF - in Czech)
NGOs slam proposal for restart of in situ leach uranium mining at Stráž pod Ralskem in view of exorbitant reclamation cost still to be covered
In view of the Minister of Industry's request to provide a total of 32 billion crowns [EUR 1.29 billion] for the groundwater cleanup at the former Stráž pod Ralskem uranium in situ leach site, four NGOs slammed proposals to restart in situ leach mining at the site. (Calla, Hnutí DUHA, Zelený kruh, Naše Podještědí, Oct. 5, 2011)
Diamo submits proposal for restart of uranium mining at historic mine site of Stráž pod Ralskem
State-owned company Diamo s.p. has supplied the Czech Ministry of Economics with a proposal to restart uranium mining at Stráž pod Ralskem in North Bohemia, where currently the vast legacy of historic acid in-situ leach uranium mining is being dealt with (view details). Mining methods under consideration include underground mining and ... in-situ leaching. So far, Czech government policy has been to shut down uranium mining (currently only being performed at Rožná) sooner or later.
(Hospodářské noviny Feb. 2, 2009)
> View deposit info
> See also: Strana Zelených Janův Důl · Naše Podještědí
(in Czech)
On Nov. 29, 2011, Uran Ltd announced a name change to Kaboko Mining Ltd .
On Oct. 13, 2011, Czech Environment Minister Tomáš Chalupa turned down an appeal of Urania Mining s.r.o. against a decision of Oct. 26, 2010, denying the opening of the Osečná-Kotel area for uranium prospection and exploration.
> Download Decision (754k PDF in Czech - Naše Podještědí)
Czech Environment Minister Martin Bursík turned down an appeal of Urania Mining s.r.o. against an earlier decision denying the exploration of the Osečná-Kotel uranium deposit.
(MF Dnes Feb. 13, 2009)
On September 20, 2008, 200 people held a demonstration at Kotel at the occasion of the European Uranium Action Day .
On June 7, 2008, 300 people held a demonstration at Osečná against mining of the Osečná-Kotel uranium deposit near Liberec.
(ČTK June 7, 2008)
The Czech Ministry of the Environment (MŽP) has denied requests by Urania Mining s.r.o. for the mining of uranium at Osečná-Kotel and Ploužnice near Liberec. The company has lodged appeals against the decisions.
(ČTK June 6, 2008)
The Czech Environment Ministry declared the Kotel municipality near Liberec a protected deposit area in which uranium could be mined, the Prima television station reported on Apr. 29, 2008.
The deposit contains some 20,000 tonnes of uranium ore, worth billions of crowns.
It was Diamo state company that applied that the uranium deposits in the Podještědí area be protected, Prima reported.
"We do not plan mining at all," Diamo production deputy director Marian Boehm told Prima.
People from local municipalities fear that uranium mining would further harm the environment and force them to move away.
(Prague Daily Monitor Apr. 30, 2008)
On April 11, 2008, approximately 100 people gathered in Liberec in front of the local branch of the Environmental Ministry to protest against the securing of the Osečná-Kotel uranium deposit for future mining.
On Jan. 26, 2008, some 300 people gathered near Osečná for another demonstration against the securing of the Osečná-Kotel uranium deposit for future mining.
"The Environment Ministry will probably make a decision on the declaration of a protected ore deposit by the end of February. However, neither plot owners, nor municipalities and their inhabitants have the right to participate in the proceedings and interfere in the process under the Communist era's mining law from 1988," protest organiser Josef Jadrný (Greens) explained.
"A new law is only being prepared and we demand that the ministry's decision in the case be postponed by the time it takes effect," Jadrný added.
(ČTK Jan. 26, 2008)
On Dec. 30, 2007, several hundred people held a demonstration at Osečná against the securing of the Osečná-Kotel uranium deposit for future mining. (ČTK Dec. 30, 2007)
State-owned company Diamo s.p. is attempting to secure the Osečná-Kotel uranium deposit for future open-pit mining. The deposit is located near the former Hamr uranium mine and Stráž uranium mill in North Bohemia. The surrounding communities are opposed to this move, since they are in the process of transforming the area into a recreational area and they are still dealing with the legacy of the large-scale uranium mining carried out during the Cold War era.
If the Environmental Ministry acknowledges the deposit as a "protected deposit", Diamo could start mining after conducting an Environmental Impact Assessment process. (Calla Nov./Dec. 2007)