First Turkish mine granted operation licences

Tuesday, 8 October 2013

Licences have been granted for the development of Turkey's first uranium mine. Anatolia Energy plans to start work at the Temrezli project so that production can begin in 2016.

Exploration work at Temrezli (Image: Anatolia Energy)

The Turkish General Directorate of Mining Affairs - an agency within the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources - has granted Australia-based Anatolia with operation licences for the project in Central Anatolia. These licences cover all previous exploration licence areas for the deposit and are valid for at least ten years. They enable the company to build the in-situ leach (ISL) well field and processing plant.

However, Anatolia said that an operation permit is required before such work begins. The company said that it will apply for a permit after it submits the environmental impact assessment for the project, which it began in 2010. Anatolia noted that the relevant property and business permits must be obtained before an operation permit will be granted.

Work including refined metallurgical and hydrological studies and a drilling program is scheduled to be completed at the project over the next ten months, the results of which will be incorporated into a prefeasibility study. Anatolia said that a project development decision is expected to be made upon completion of that study.

Estimated uranium resources for the Temrezli project total 6.8 million tonnes of ore at an average grade of 1170 part-per-million (ppm) for 17.4 million pounds U3O8 (6697 tU). These figures are JORC compliant. Total production of 9.125 million pounds U3O8 (350 tU) is envisaged over a ten-year mine life at a rate of 1 million pounds U3O8 (385 tU) per year.

Last month, Anatolia announced plans to raise up to AUD 6.2 million (USD 5.9 million) to fund the next phase of work to advance the project.

Anatolia managing director Jim Graham commented, "These are the first operation licences for a uranium project in Turkey, and, on the back of our recent capital raising, stand the company in good stead to bring Temrezli into production in early 2016."

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News