URANIUM RENAISSANCE IN THE EARLY 21ST CENTURY

1
URANIUM RENAISSANCE IN THE EARLY 21ST CENTURY

• THE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE

2
URANIUM AS A COMMODITY

• NUCLEAR POWER PLANT FUEL
• WEAPONARY
• WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
• RADIOACTIVE DISPERSAL DEVICES
• OTHER UTILIZATIONS
• INDUSTRIAL/RESEARCH APPLICATIONS,
• NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND PHARMACEUTICALS,
  ETC.

3
PARALLELS OF URANIUM AND PETROLEUM MARKETS

• EXTREMELY VOLATILE PRICE RANGES WITH SHORT-TERM
  HIGHS AND LOWS
• GEOPOLITICALLY SENSITIVE TO INCIDENTS, BOTH
  NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
• SENSTITIVE TO NATURAL DISASTERS
• NEGATIVELY AFFECTED BY PUNITIVE REGULATORY
  ACTIONS

4
NATIONAL PROBLEMS

• CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF SUFFICIENT STOCK PILES
  FOR
• NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
• RESEARCH/INDUSTRY
• MILITARY UTILIZATION-ENSURE THAT
• ENOUGH URANIUM ORES ARE AVAILABLE TO PROCESS
• REEXAMINATION OF THE CARTER DOCTRINE ON NO
  REPROCESSING OF NUCLEAR FUEL (MOX ESTABLISHMENT)

5
PROBLEM AREAS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

• IAEA support of nation-state development of
  sustainable nation-state economies
• Initial infrastructure development that parallels
  mine development and produces infrastructure
  post-mining
• Decommissioning models are needed to soften shock
  and return communities to their improved status
• Prevent new legacies without crippling the mining
  operation by misplaced environmental enthusiasm.
• The mining industry must be involved. Inspections
  by the IAEA that are positive litigation
  relief.
• Mineral deposit versus an ore deposit means
  profit.

6
INTERNATIONAL PROBLEMS

• CONTINUING AVAILABILITY OF SUFFICIENT STOCK PILES
  FOR
• NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
• RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY
• NON-PROLIFERATION
• PRESSING NEED FOR ASSISTANCE TO THIRD-WORLD AND
  EMERGING NATION-STATE GOVERNMENTS IN NEEDS FOR
• ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE REQUIRED
• INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT
• ACCOUNTING RESPOSIBILITIES
• PRODUCTION OF AN INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS FOR
  MINE DEVELOPMENT, SAFETY, SECURITY, AND
  DECOMMISSIONING

7
INTERNATIONAL SOLUTIONS

• ENCOURAGE USE OF BYPRODUCT MATERIALS
• SECONDARY EXTRACTION OF PHOSPHORIC ACIDS
• SECONDARY EXTRACTION OF PORPHYRY COPPER
• TAILINGS (SOUTH AFRICAN GOLD MINES), ETC.
• DEVELOP AN INTERNATIONAL AEC TYPE STRATEGIC
  STOCKPILE SYSTEM TO ENSURE FUEL AVAILABILITY
• SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE OF NATION LACKING
  TECHNOLOGY, PERSONNEL, AND/OR FINANCIAL ADEQUACY.

8
RECOMMENDATIONS

• INTERNATIONAL HIGH-LEVEL AND SPENT FUEL
  REPOSITORIES
• A PERCENTAGE OF FORIEIGN INVESTMENT IN URANIUM
  RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IN DEVELOPING NATION-STATES
  SHOULD SET ASIDE FOR
• NATION-STATE EDUCATION
• NATION-STATE INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT
• MUST BE TRANSPARENT AND RIGOUROUSLY CONTROLLED
  UNDER INTERNATIONAL AUTHORITY, IF NECESSARY

9
OBSERVATION

• The current hyperactive African uranium gold
  rush-like system is characterized by many
  different political players that come from a
  widely divergent set of local to international
  organizations all of who are actively involved in
  a spectrum of different arenas and cross-purposes.