Uranium by country
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The world's largest producer of
uranium Uranium is a chemical element with the symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Uranium is weak ...
is
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
, which in 2019 produced 43% of the world's mining output.
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
was the next largest producer with a 13% share, followed by
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
with 12%. Uranium has been mined in every continent except Antarctica.


Africa


Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Uranium mining in the
DRC The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
ceased in 2004 with the closure of the Shinkolobwe mine. Uranium for the
Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
nuclear bombs that were used in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of the Second World War came from Shinkolobwe, in the mineral rich province of Katanga, at that time in the
Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...
. In 2009 the French conglomerate
Areva Areva S.A. is a French multinational group specializing in nuclear power headquartered in Courbevoie, France. Before its 2016 corporate restructuring, Areva was majority-owned by the French state through the French Alternative Energies and Atom ...
executed an agreement with the Congolese Minister of Mines on uranium prospecting and mining. Work would start with a detailed inventory of mining sites and update of all databases. In 2011 Areva disclosed that it was unlikely to develop a uranium mine in the DRC until the country became more politically stable.


Gabon

In
Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north ...
, mining used to occur in
Oklo Oklo is a region near the town of Franceville, in the Haut-Ogooué province of the Central African country of Gabon. Several natural nuclear fission reactors were discovered in the uranium mines in the region in 1972. History Gabon was a French ...
, but the deposits are reported to be exhausted. In 1972, remains of a
natural nuclear fission reactor A natural nuclear fission reactor is a uranium deposit where self-sustaining nuclear chain reactions occur. The conditions under which a natural nuclear reactor could exist had been predicted in 1956 by Japanese American chemist Paul Kuroda. Th ...
were found at the Oklo deposits.


Malawi

Uranium is produced at
Kayelekera mine Kayelekera uranium mine is an open cast uranium mine 52 kilometers west of the regional administrative and commercial centre Karonga in Malawi, Africa and was the country's largest mine. Production at the mine has been paused since February 2014, ...
near
Karonga Karonga is a township in the Karonga District in Northern Region of Malawi. Located on the western shore of Lake Nyasa, it was established as a slaving centre sometime before 1877. As of 2018 estimates, Karonga has a population of 61,609. His ...
. The mine owned and operated by Australian company,
Paladin Energy Paladin Energy Ltd is a Western Australian based uranium production company. It currently has one operating mine in Africa; the Langer Heinrich mine (LHM) in Namibia. Paladin was listed on the Australian, OTC and Namibian Stock Exchanges, as ...
. As of 2014, the mine is under 'care and maintenance' due to weak uranium prices.


Namibia

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...
produces uranium from three of the world's largest open pit uranium mines. The China National Nuclear Corporation-owned Rössing mine produced of U3O8 in 2018. The China General Nuclear Power Group-owned Husab Mine produced of U3O8 in 2018. The Langer Heinrich calcrete uranium deposit was discovered in 1973 and an open pit mine officially opened in 2007, producing until 2018, when the
Paladin Energy Paladin Energy Ltd is a Western Australian based uranium production company. It currently has one operating mine in Africa; the Langer Heinrich mine (LHM) in Namibia. Paladin was listed on the Australian, OTC and Namibian Stock Exchanges, as ...
- China National Nuclear Corporation joint venture was placed on care and maintenance, due to a sustained low uranium price. Production in 2017 was of U3O8.


Niger

Niger was Africa's leading uranium-producing nation until 2016, when it was overtaken by Namibia. In 2019 it was the world's fifth largest producer, with 6% of production. Uranium is produced from the Somair mine at Arlit, 63.4% owned by
Orano Cycle Orano Cycle, formerly COGEMA (''Compagnie générale des matières nucléaires'') and Areva NC, is a French nuclear company. It is the main subsidiary of Orano S.A. It is an industrial group active in all stages of the uranium fuel cycle, includ ...
and 36.66% by Niger state mining assets company Société du patrimoine des mines du Niger, known as SOPAMIN, and has produced nearly of uranium since operations began in 1971; and the Akouta mine at Akokan, owned by Orano Cycle (34%), SOPAMIN (31%), Overseas Uranium Resources Development Co of Japan (25%) and Enusa Industrias Avanzadas SA of Spain (10%), and has produced more than of uranium since the start of operations in 1978.


South Africa

South Africa produces uranium from deposits in
Archean The Archean Eon ( , also spelled Archaean or Archæan) is the second of four geologic eons of Earth's history, representing the time from . The Archean was preceded by the Hadean Eon and followed by the Proterozoic. The Earth Earth ...
quartz-pebble
conglomerate Conglomerate or conglomeration may refer to: * Conglomerate (company) * Conglomerate (geology) * Conglomerate (mathematics) In popular culture: * The Conglomerate (American group), a production crew and musical group founded by Busta Rhymes ** Co ...
s of the
Witwatersrand Basin The Witwatersrand () (locally the Rand or, less commonly, the Reef) is a , north-facing scarp in South Africa. It consists of a hard, erosion-resistant quartzite metamorphic rock, over which several north-flowing rivers form waterfalls, which ...
, at Brakpan and
Krugersdorp, Gauteng Krugersdorp (Afrikaans for ''Kruger's Town'') is a mining city in the West Rand, Gauteng Province, South Africa founded in 1887 by Marthinus Pretorius. Following the discovery of gold on the Witwatersrand, a need arose for a major town in the wes ...
. The Karoo contains several sandstone-hosted Permian uranium deposits around Beaufort West in the Western Cape.


Asia


China

China mined in 2007 636 tonnes of U3O8, a decrease of 17% of its production in 2006.2007 Annual report of the Euratom Supply Agency
/ref>


India

In
Nalgonda District Nalgonda district is a district in the Telangana state of India. Nalgonda district has the highest number of mandals in the state with 31 mandals. The district shares boundaries with Suryapet, Rangareddy, Yadadri and Nagarkurnool districts ...
, the Rajiv Gandhi Tiger Reserve (the only
tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...
project in
Telangana Telangana (; ) is a landlocked state in India situated in Southern part of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India as per 2011 census. On 2 June 2014, t ...
) has been forced to surrender over 3,000 sq. kilometres to uranium mining, following a directive from the Central Ministry of Environment and Forests. In 2007, India was able to extract 229 tonnes of U3O8 from its soil. On July 19, 2011, Indian officials announced that the Tumalapalli mine in Andhra Pradesh state of India could provide more than 170,000 tonnes of uranium. Production of the ore is slated to begin in 2012. The
Department of Atomic Energy The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) (IAST: ''Paramāṇu Ūrjā Vibhāga'') is a department with headquarters in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. DAE was established in 1954 by a Presidential Order. DAE has been engaged in the development of nucl ...
(DAE) recently discovered that the upcoming mine in Tumalapalli has close to 49,000 tonnes of uranium reserves. This could just be a shot in the arm for India's nuclear power aspirations as it is three times the original estimate of the area's deposits.


Jordan

Jordan is estimated to have inferred mineral resources of 62,000 tonnes of uranium, including 33,300 tonnes in central Jordan, and 28,700 tonnes in the Hasa-Qatrana area, plus a further 100,000 tonnes in phosphate deposits. No uranium has been mined from the country.


Commonwealth of Independent States


Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
is the world's largest uranium producer, with some 19,477 tonnes of U3O8 (43 million pounds) in 2020, 41% of world supply. In 2019 five of Kazatomprom's ISR mining groups were among the world's ten largest uranium mines.


Russia

The
World Nuclear Association World Nuclear Association is the international organization that promotes nuclear power and supports the companies that comprise the global nuclear industry. Its members come from all parts of the nuclear fuel cycle, including uranium mining, ur ...
states that Russia has known
uranium deposits Uranium ore deposits are economically recoverable concentrations of uranium within the Earth's crust. Uranium is one of the more common elements in the Earth's crust, being 40 times more common than silver and 500 times more common than gold. It ...
of 500,000 tonnes and planned to mine 11,000 to 12,000 tonnes per year from deposits in the South Urals, Western Siberia, and Siberia east of
Lake Baikal Lake Baikal (, russian: Oзеро Байкал, Ozero Baykal ); mn, Байгал нуур, Baigal nuur) is a rift lake in Russia. It is situated in southern Siberia, between the federal subjects of Irkutsk Oblast to the northwest and the Repu ...
, by 2010. The Russian nuclear industry underwent an overall restructuring process during 2007. The production was high as almost 4,000 tons of tU3O8 (8.8 million pounds) from three operating mines in 2007. Atomredmetzoloto reported that the Priargunsky mine yielded 3,538 tonnes (7.8 million pounds) in 2007, a slight decline from the 3,719 tonnes (8.2 million pounds) reported by TVEL in 2006. At the Dalur (Dolmatovskoye) and Khiagda ISR mines, production of 412 tonnes (910,000 pounds) and 30 tonnes (68,000 pounds), respectively, was reached in 2007. Both ISR projects are expected to increase production steadily through 2015.


Uzbekistan

In
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
, the
Navoi Mining & Metallurgy Combinat NMMC ( en, State-Owned Enterprise Navoi Mining & Metallurgy Combine, russian: Государственное предприятие «Навоийский горно-металлургический комбинат») is one of the largest Uzb ...
reportedly produced 2,721 tonnes U3O8 or tU3O8 (6 million pounds) from its Nurabad,
Uchkuduk Uchquduq (sometimes spelled as Uchkuduk, uz, Üçquduq; russian: Учкуду́к) is a city in the north of Navoiy Region, Uzbekistan. It is the seat of Uchquduq District. The city's name means "three draw-wells" in Uzbek. It is located at , at ...
and Zafarabad in-situ recovery facilities.


Mongolia

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
has reserves of uranium approximating 41,521 tonnes total. A single mine at
Mardai Mardai is an abandoned uranium mining town located in the Dornod aimag of Mongolia, in a remote area north of Choibolsan. The Dornod area was prospected for uranium ore by the Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet ...
was operated between 1989 and 1995, producing 2,400 tonnes of uranium per year. No uranium mining is being undertaken in Mongolia in 2021, though mines are being planned.


Australia

Production in Australia rose significantly to 10,115 tU3O8 (22.3 million pounds) in 2007 from 9,000 tonnes (19.7 million pounds) in 2006, securing its position as the second largest uranium producing country, most of the production gain coming from increased operational performance and an increase in the grade of the ore mined. Australia has the world's largest uranium reserves, 24% of the planet's known reserves. The majority of these reserves are located in
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
with other important deposits in
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
,
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
and the
Northern Territory The Northern Territory (commonly abbreviated as NT; formally the Northern Territory of Australia) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian territory in the central and central northern regions of Australia. The Northern Territory ...
. The
Olympic Dam mine The Olympic Dam mine is a large poly-metallic underground mine located in South Australia, NNW of Adelaide. It is the fourth largest copper deposit and the largest known single deposit of uranium in the world. Copper is the largest contributor ...
run by
BHP BHP Group Limited (formerly known as BHP Billiton) is an Australian multinational mining, metals, natural gas petroleum public company that is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The Broken Hill Proprietary Company was founded ...
in South Australia is combined with mining of copper, gold, and silver, and has reserves of global significance. There are currently three operating uranium mines in Australia, and several more have been proposed. The expansion of Australia's uranium mines was supported by the Gillard Government. The
Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party (ALP), also simply known as Labor, is the major centre-left political party in Australia, one of two major parties in Australian politics, along with the centre-right Liberal Party of Australia. The party forms the f ...
abandoned its long-standing and controversial "no new uranium mines" policy in April 2007. One of the more controversial proposals was
Jabiluka Jabiluka is a pair of uranium deposits and mine development in the Northern Territory of Australia that was to have been built on land belonging to the Mirarr clan of Australian Aborigine, Aboriginal people. The mine site is surrounded by, but no ...
, to be built surrounded by the
World Heritage A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
listed Kakadu National Park. The existing
Ranger Uranium Mine The Ranger Uranium Mine was a uranium mine in the Northern Territory of Australia. The site is surrounded by, but separate from Kakadu National Park, 230 km east of Darwin. The orebody was discovered in late 1969, and the mine commenced ...
is also surrounded by the National Park, as the mine area was not included in the original listing of the park. Uranium mining and export and related nuclear issues have often been the subject of public debate, and the
anti-nuclear movement in Australia Nuclear weapons testing, uranium mining and export, and nuclear power have often been the subject of public debate in Australia, and the anti-nuclear movement in Australia has a long history. Its origins date back to the 1972–1973 debate ove ...
has a long history.


Europe


Bulgaria

Bulgaria shut down its facilities for environmental reasons in 1992; terrains were recultivated but recently, there has been certain interest in resuming activities. Industrial mining first started in 1938 and was resumed after 1944 by a joint Soviet–Bulgarian mining company, reorganized in 1956 into the Redki Metali (Rare Metals) government-owned concern. At its peak, it had 13,000 employees, operated 48 uranium mines and two milling plants at Buhovo outside
Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...
and Eleshnitsa near Bansko. Yearly production was estimated at 645 t that met about 55% of the needs of
Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant The Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant in Bulgaria situated north of Sofia and east of Kozloduy, a town on the Danube river, near the border with Romania. It is the country's only nuclear power plant and the largest in the reg ...
, which had six reactors with a total output of over 3600 MWe at its peak.


Czech Republic

The Czech Republic is the birthplace of industrial-scale uranium mining. Uranium mining at Jáchymov (at that time named Joachimsthal and belonging to Austria-Hungary) started in the 1890s on an industrial scale, after the silver and cobalt production of the deposit declined. Uranium was first utilised to produce mainly yellow colours for glass and porcelain manufacture. After the Curies in France discovered the polonium and radium in tailings from Jáchymov, the town became the first place in the world for commercial radium production from uranium ore. Radioactive water from the mines was also used to set up a health resort still existing today for radon-treatments. Pre–Cold War production is estimated to be around 1,000 t of uranium. From 1947 on Czechoslovakia started producing uranium for the Soviet Union. Early mining sites, such as Jáchymov, Horní Slavkov and
Příbram Příbram (; german: Freiberg in Böhmen, ''Przibram'', or ''Pribram'', in 1939–1945 ''Pibrans'') is a town in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 32,000 inhabitants. It is well known for its mining history, and more ...
, became known as parts of the "Czech Gulag". In the whole, Czechoslovakia produced 110,000 t of uranium to 1992 from 64 uranium deposits. The largest deposit Příbram (vein style) produced about 50,000 t of uranium and was mined to a depth of over 1,800 m. The
Rožná Rožná is a municipality and village in Žďár nad Sázavou District in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 800 inhabitants. Rožná lies approximately south-east of Žďár nad Sázavou, east of Jihlava, and south-east o ...
underground facility 55 km northwest of
Brno Brno ( , ; german: Brünn ) is a city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava and Svratka rivers, Brno has about 380,000 inhabitants, making it the second-largest city in the Czech Republic ...
was Central Europe's last operating uranium mine continuously operating since 1957. It produced about 300 t of uranium annually till 27 April 2017 when the last ore was mined. Czech Republic still has deposits of uranium ore but mining is not planned in the near future due to low price of Uranium.


Estonia

During 1946–1952, the
Dictyonema ''Dictyonema'' is a genus of mainly tropical basidiolichens in the family Hygrophoraceae. The ''Dictyonema'' symbiosis Most lichens are a symbiosis between an ascomycete fungus and a photosynthetic green alga. However, a small percentage of ...
argillite (
claystone Mudrocks are a class of fine-grained siliciclastic sedimentary rocks. The varying types of mudrocks include siltstone, claystone, mudstone, slate, and shale. Most of the particles of which the stone is composed are less than and are too sm ...
) was mined and used for uranium production in
Sillamäe Sillamäe (Estonian language, Estonian for 'Bridge Hill'; also known by the Germanised names of ''Sillamäggi'' or ''Sillamägi'') is a town in Ida-Viru County in the northern part of Estonia, on the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland. It ha ...
.


Finland

In
Uusimaa Uusimaa (; sv, Nyland, ; both lit. 'new land') is a region of Finland. It borders the regions of Southwest Finland, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme), and Kymenlaakso. Finland's capital and largest city, He ...
,
Karelia Karelia ( Karelian and fi, Karjala, ; rus, Каре́лия, links=y, r=Karélija, p=kɐˈrʲelʲɪjə, historically ''Korjela''; sv, Karelen), the land of the Karelian people, is an area in Northern Europe of historical significance for ...
and
Lapland Lapland may refer to: Places *Lapland or Sápmi, an ethno-cultural region stretching over northern Fennoscandia (parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia) **Lapland (Finland) (''Lappi''/''Lappland''), a Finnish region *** Lapland (former pr ...
in Finland, presently (2009) uranium deposits are investigated. In addition,
Talvivaara Mining Company Ahtium (known until 2017 as the Talvivaara Mining Company; fi, Talvivaaran Kaivososakeyhtiö Oyj) was a Finnish mining company that operated the Talvivaara nickel mine from the company's establishment in 2004 until the mining business was sold ...
plc has announced in early 2010 the commencement of uranium recovery as a by-product out of its mine producing mainly nickel, copper, zinc and cobalt in Sotkamo, eastern Finland. Production is expected to be approximately 350 tons of yellowcake annually, making Finland almost self-sufficient in uranium, accounting for approximately 80% of annual demand. However, as Finland lacks the required processing facilities to convert yellowcake into nuclear fuel, the mine's output will need to be sent abroad for refining and enrichment.


Germany

The search for uranium ore intensified during the Cold War. In
East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
an extensive uranium mining industry was established. Uranium was mined from 1947 to 1990 from mines in
Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...
and
Thuringia Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million. Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
by the SDAG Wismut. It was mostly used by the Soviet Union to build nuclear fission weapons, also as fuel for nuclear power plants. In
West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
more limited mining took place at
Ellweiler Ellweiler is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a Municipalities of Germany, municipality belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'', a kind of collective municipality – in the Birkenfeld (district), Birkenfeld Districts of Germany, district in Rhineland-Palatinat ...
, Rheinland-Pfalz (1959–1964), and Menzenschwand,
Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
(1961–1991). All uranium mines were closed after
German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...
for environmental reasons. Some areas were heavily contaminated and clean-up is still not finished. Total production in East Germany was 230,400 t of uranium, making it the third largest producer in history behind the US and Canada. Minor production still takes place at the Königstein mine southeast of
Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...
from cleaning of mine water. This production has been 38 t of uranium in 2007.


Hungary

In Hungary, uranium mining began in the 1950s around Pécs to supply the country's first atomic plant in Paks. A whole district was built for the mining industry on the outskirt of Pécs, for which the name Uránváros (Uranium city) was given. After the fall of communism, uranium mining was gradually given up because of the high production costs. That caused serious economic problems and a rise of unemployment in Pécs. Recently an Australian company took up the challenge to search for uranium in the
Mecsek Mecsek (; hr, Meček; Serbian: ''Meček'' or Мечек; german: Metscheck) is a mountain range in southern Hungary. It is situated in the Baranya region, in the north of the city of Pécs. Etymology The Hungarian toponym "Mecsek" derives from ...
.


Portugal

Portugal has some uranium exploration around the Northern Alentejo town of Nisa, although further exploration of this area is subject to resistance from environmental groups There is also a uranium ore mine in the town of Canas de Senhorim (Viseu) .


Romania

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
produced in 2008 around 250 tonnes of uranium., see
SovRoms The SovRoms (plural of ''SovRom'') were economic enterprises established in Romania following the communist takeover at the end of World War II, in place until 1954–1956 (when they were dissolved by the Romanian authorities). In theory, SovRo ...
,
Crucea - Botusana mine Crucea may refer to several places in Romania: * Crucea, Constanța, a commune in Constanța County * Crucea, Suceava, a commune in Suceava County * Crucea, a village in Lungani Commune, Iași County * Crucea de Jos and Crucea de Sus, villages admi ...
and
Băiţa mine Baita may refer to: Romania ;Communes and villages *Băița, Hunedoara, a commune in Hunedoara County *Băița and Băița-Plai, villages in Nucet town, Bihor County *Băița, a village in Gherla town, Cluj County *Băița, a village in Tăuții-M ...
. At the village Ciudanoviţa in the
Banat Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of T ...
region in the south west of Romania there are closed down mines which provided ore for 50 years but are now closed.


Slovakia

Uranium was formerly mined in the Novoveská Huta near
Spišská Nová Ves Spišská Nová Ves (; hu, Igló; german: (Zipser) Neu(en)dorf) is a town in the Košice Region of Slovakia. The town is located southeast of the High Tatras in the Spiš region, and lies on both banks of the Hornád River. It is the biggest tow ...
from stratiform deposits. Currently there are plans to open a mine for the extraction of uranium ore in the hills of Jahodna near the city of
Košice Košice ( , ; german: Kaschau ; hu, Kassa ; pl, Коszyce) is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of app ...
.
European Uranium Resources European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
(earlier known as Tournigan Energy) is planning to mine uranium at the
Kuriskova mine The Kurišková uranium deposit is one of the largest uranium deposits in Slovakia. The deposit is located in close neighborhoods (6 km) of the city of Košice in Košice Region in the area known as Jahodná. Since 2006 the deposit has been ex ...
, near Košice, however, the plan is strongly opposed by local inhabitants. Several other uranium deposits are found in the Považský Inovec Mts. near
Kálnica Kálnica ( hu, Kalános) is a village and municipality in Nové Mesto nad Váhom District in the Trenčín Region of western Slovakia. History In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1396. Geography The municipality lies at an ...
, in the area of Petrova Hora near
Krompachy Krompachy (german: Krombach, hu, Korompa) is a town in Slovakia, with a rich mining and metallurgical history, well-known both in Slovakia and in its close neighboring countries for its Plejsy ski center. History The town was first mentioned ...
and in the Vikartovský chrbát in Kozie chrbty Mts. None of them is extracted.


Spain

The Australian company Berkeley Energia Limited is permitting a new
open pit Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a borrow. This form of mining ...
uranium mine at
Retortillo Retortillo is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León, Spain. Mine A Uranium mine in Retortillo is proposed by Berkeley Minera, an Australian mining company. Being only 50 km to the Portugal–Spain border T ...
in a historical uranium mining area, near the city of Ciudad Rodrigo in Salamanca Province. Berkeley is also active in Cáceres,
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
and Province of Guadalajara, Guadualajara provinces.


Sweden

In Sweden, uranium production took place at Ranstadsverket between 1965 and 1969 by mining of alum shale (kind of oil shale) deposits. The goal was to make Sweden self-supplying with uranium. The high operating costs of the pilot plant (heap leaching) due to the low concentration of uranium in the shale and the availability at that time of comparatively cheap uranium on the world market caused the mine to be closed, although a much cheaper and more efficient leaching process, using sulfur-consuming bacteria, had by then been developed. Since 2005 there have been investigations on opening new uranium mines in Sweden.


Ukraine

Ukraine's VostGOK produced almost 1,000 tU3O8 (2.2 million pounds) from the Zhovti Vody mill in 2007, which was similar to the 2.1 million pounds produced in 2006.


United Kingdom

The South Terras Mine in Cornwall produced 736 tons of uranium ore from 1873 to 1930.


North America


Canada

For many years, Canada was the largest exporter of uranium ore; however, in 2009 the top spot was taken over by Kazakhstan. The largest Canadian mines are located in the Athabasca Basin of northern Saskatchewan. Canada's first uranium discovery was in the Alona Bay area, south of Lake Superior Provincial Park in Ontario, by Dr. John Le Conte in 1847. The Canadian uranium industry, however, really began with the 1932 discovery of pitchblende at Port Radium, Northwest Territories. The deposit was mined from 1933 to 1940, for radium, silver, copper, and cobalt. The mine shut down in 1940, but was reopened in 1942 by Eldorado Mining and Refining Limited to supply uranium to the
Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
. The Canadian government expropriated the Port Radium mine and banned private claimstaking and mining of radioactive minerals. In 1947, the government lifted the ban on private uranium mining, and the industry boomed through the 1950s, spurred by high prices due to the nuclear weapons programs. Production peaked in 1959, when 23 mines in five different districts made uranium Canada's number-one export. That same year, however, the United Kingdom and the United States announced their intention to halt uranium purchases in 1963. By 1963, seven mines were left operating, a number that shrank to only three in 1972. A price rise caused uranium to boom again in 1975 and 2005.


United States

Most uranium ore in the United States comes from deposits in sandstone, which tend to be of lower grade than those of Australia and Canada. Because of the lower grade, many uranium deposits in the United States became uneconomic when the price of uranium declined sharply in the 1980s. Today nearly all uranium operations in the United States are In-situ leach. Regular production of uranium-bearing ore in the United States began in 1898 with the mining of carnotite-bearing sandstones of the Colorado Plateau in Colorado and Utah, for their vanadium content. The discovery of radium by Marie Curie, also in 1898, soon made the ore also valuable for radium. Uranium was a byproduct. By 1913, the Colorado Plateau uranium-vanadium province was supplying about half of the world supply of radium. Production declined sharply after 1923, when low-cost competition from radium from the
Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...
and vanadium from Peru made the Colorado Plateau ores uneconomic. Mining revived in the 1930s with higher prices for vanadium. American uranium ores were in very high demand by the Manhattan Project during World War II, although the mining companies did not know that the by-product uranium was suddenly valuable. The late 1940s and early 1950s saw a boom in uranium mining in the western US, spurred by the fortunes made by prospectors such as Charlie Steen. Uranium mining declined with the last open pit mine (Shirley Basin, Wyoming) shutting down in 1992. United States production occurred in the following states (in descending order): New Mexico, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Texas, Arizona, Florida, Washington, and South Dakota. The collapse of uranium prices caused all conventional mining to cease by 1992. In-situ leach mining has continued primarily in Wyoming and adjacent Nebraska as well has recently restarted in Texas. Rising uranium prices since 2003 have increased interest in uranium mining in the United States.


Arizona

On Wednesday, 25 June 2008, the House Natural Resources Committee voted overwhelmingly to enact emergency protections from uranium mining for of public lands around Grand Canyon National Park. This will mean the Secretary of the Interior has an obligation to protect public lands near the Grand Canyon from uranium extraction for three years. Th
Center for Biological Diversity
Sierra Club, and the Gran
Canyon Trust
recently won a court order against the Kaibab National Forest stopping uranium drilling near the national park until a thorough environmental analysis is conducted. The Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act has been proposed. This bill would permanently ban uranium mining in the area. The impacts of uranium development have raised concerns of scientists and government officials alike. Due to increasing demand, uranium projects have been on the increase, raising concerns about water, public health, and fragile desert ecosystems.


Virginia

In February 2010, the Commonwealth of Virginia contracted the National Research Council and Virginia Polytechnic Institute to oversee a National Research Council study of potential environmental and economic effects of uranium mining in Virginia. The National Research Council study, funded indirectly by a $1.4 million grant from Virginia Uranium to the Commonwealth, resulted in a report released in December 2011. Uranium mining and processing carries with it a range of potential health risks to the people who work in or live near uranium mining and processing facilities. Some of these health risks apply to any type of hard rock mining or other large-scale industrial activity, but others are linked to exposure to radioactive materials. In addition, uranium mining has the potential to impact water, soil, and air quality, with the degree of impact depending on site-specific conditions, how early a contaminant release is detected by monitoring systems, and the effectiveness of mitigation steps. Some of the worker and public health risks could be mitigated or better controlled through modern internationally accepted best practices, the report says. In addition, if uranium mining, processing, and reclamation were designed, constructed, operated, and monitored according to best practices, near- to moderate-term environmental effects should be substantially reduced, the report found. However, the report noted that Virginia's high water table and heavy rainfall differed from other parts of the United States—typically dry, Western states—where uranium mining has taken place. Consequently, federal agencies have little experience developing and applying laws and regulations in locations with abundant rainfall and groundwater, such as Virginia. Because of Virginia's moratorium on uranium mining, it has not been necessary for the Commonwealth's agencies to develop a regulatory program that is applicable to uranium mining, processing, and reclamation. The report also noted the long-term environmental risks of uranium tailings, the solid waste left after processing. Tailings disposal sites represent potential sources of contamination for thousands of years. While it is likely that tailings impoundment sites would be safe for at least 200 years if designed and built according to modern best practices, the long-term risks of radioactive contaminant release are unknown. The report's authoring committee was not asked to recommend whether uranium mining should be permitted, or to consider the potential benefits to the state were uranium mining to be pursued. It also was not asked to compare the relative risks of uranium mining to the mining of other fuels such as coal.


Texas

Uranium Energy Corp. began in-situ leach mining at its Palangana deposit (grading .135% U3O8) in Duval County, Texas, Duval County in 2010. Uranium loaded ion-exchange resin, resin beads from that ion exchange, ion-exchange facility are processed into yellowcake at the company's Hobson, Texas, Hobson processing plant, one of only three operating processing plants in the United States. The company has three more South Texas deposits permitted or under development.
Handbook of Texas Online: ''Uranium Mining''


South America


Argentina

Blue Sky Uranium Corp. of Canada, together with an Argentinian partner, announced a 2012 exploration program in Rio Negro Province, and Chubut Province. The company's mining concessions cover 500,000 hectares. The near surface resource is believed to be recoverable through conventional open-pit mining. Other Canadian miners, however, have withdrawn from Argentina in the wake of recent legislation, considered to be unfriendly to the industry.


Brazil

Uranium mining was explored in the 1950s, but was halted by the government due to low quality and little profit.


Paraguay

Uranium exploration has only recently been undertaken in Paraguay, starting in 2006 by CUE Resources, Ltd. of Canada. Uranium Energy Corporation acquired CUE in 2012. The company's Yuty and Coronel Oviedo, Oviedo mining concessions, in the Parana Basin cover 230,650 hectares, roughly 5% of the country. Still in the exploration stage, the resource (grading roughly .05% U3O8, U3O8) is thought to be favorable for in-situ leach recovery.


See also

* List of countries by uranium production * List of countries by uranium reserves


References

{{Uranium mining Uranium mining by country, Uranium mining,