Fuel cycle roundup #18

Wednesday, 11 December 2013

First uranium leaves Lost Creek

Ur-Energy's Lost Creek in-situ leach (ISL) project in Wyoming has shipped its first load of yellowcake. The shipment containing approximately 35,000 pounds U3O8 (13 tU) left the Wyoming facility on 3 December. Production started at the Lost Creek's uranium recovery facility in August, and Ur-Energy CEO Wayne Heili praised his team for its achievement in moving the project forward from ground-breaking just over a year ago.

Construction starts at Four Mile

Quasar Resources has begun construction at the Four Mile uranium project in South Australia, its partner company Alliance Resources has confirmed. The ISL project is a joint venture between Quasar (75%) and Alliance (25%) and is the subject of ongoing litigation between the two companies.

Westinghouse fuel deal extended

Kernkraftwerk Leibstadt has extended a contract with Westinghouse to manufacture and deliver fuel to cover two additional reloads for the Swiss power plant. The fuel assemblies for the 1220 MWe boiling water reactor will be manufactured at Westinghouse Electric Sweden's Västerås facility and will be delivered in 2016 and 2017, in addition to the five reload deliveries in 2011-2015 covered by the original contract.

Cameco out of South Texas exploration

Canadian uranium giant Cameco has elected to discontinue a joint venture agreement on exploration in South Texas with Uranium Resources Inc (URI). The joint venture was announced in May 2011 and expanded and extended in 2012. URI president and CEO Christopher Jones said that "given the current economics of exploration", the company could "certainly understand" Cameco's decision to concentrate on more developed projects than the greenfield exploration site. He confirmed that URI remains committed to developing uranium in South Texas.

Talvivaara not worried by permit recall

Finnish mining company Talvivaara says it does not anticipate any material financial impact from a government reassessment of its permit to extract uranium as a by-product from nickel and zinc mining operations. Finland's Supreme Administration Court has ordered the permit to be returned to the government for reassessment as the company has undergone several operational changes, including corporate reorganisation, since the permit was granted in March 2012. Talvivaara CEO Pekka Perä said the start-up of uranium production at the Sotkamo nickel-zinc mine had been expected in 2014, but would likely be "somewhat delayed" as a result of the court decision.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News