IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency

IAEA activities in Uranium Production Cycle

Harikrishnan ‘Hari’ Tulsidas

Division of Nuclear Fuel and Waste Technology

IAEA 2

The "Atoms for Peace" Agency

• World centre of cooperation in the nuclear field

• Promotes safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies

• Three pillars (3S) of IAEA • Safety and Security • Science and Technology • Safeguards and

Verification

IAEA 3

Organisation Director General

Technical Cooperation

Programme support

Africa

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Europe

Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Power

Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste

Technology

Nuclear Safety and security

Nuclear Installation Safety

Radiation, Transport and Waste Safety

Management

Human Resources

Information Technology

General Services

Conferences

Finance

Public Information

Nuclear Sciences and Applications

Human Health

Sciences

Laboratories

Food & Agriculture

Safeguards

Concepts and planning

Tech support

Operations A

Operations B

Information Management

Operations C

IAEA 4

The challenges

• Technology: Systematic efforts to understand uranium is only a few decades old, compared to other energy or mineral sources which have centuries of study and research behind them.

• Planning: Interest in uranium peaked in the 1970s, but fell in the three decades following that due to many reasons, notably due a deluge 'cheap oil'. Uranium exploration is driven by a relatively small market demand as of now, which could change in a major way in the future.

• Optimization: Very little research and development has gone into making uranium extraction more efficient. There are many processing plants in the world with grossly poor extraction efficiency that up to 1000 ppm of uranium is left behind in the tailings.

• Sustainability: Extraction of uranium from unconventional is another indicator on how seriously we are thinking about sustainability. Every year some 12000 tonnes of uranium is being permanently lost because of our lack of interest in recovering uranium from phosphoric acid.

• Coordination: Certain amount of competitiveness is unavoidable in a market driven economy. But the challenges of uranium can better managed only if a higher level of unified action is realized.

IAEA 5

IAEA activities

Assessment of uranium resources, production and demand

IAEA/NEA Red Book Uranium 2060 Database of Uranium Deposits (http://infcis.iaea.org) Standardization of resource classification

Supporting good practices in the uranium production cycle

Uranium Production Site Assessment Team Optimization of mining technologies Development of low grade ores Unconventional resources – Phosphates Thorium resources (By-product of REE) Support training activities

Technical Cooperation18 national projects and 1 regional project (Africa)

Inter-regional project – 2012-13

Mission

To collect and share knowledge of uranium resources and support the development of a sustainable uranium production cycle in

Member States.

IAEA 6

Uranium resources

IAEA /OECD NEA Uranium 2011: Resources, Production and Demand

iNFCIS - UDEPO

Data of 1 488 uranium deposits from 75 countries

http://infcis.iaea.org

Total 31 300 000 tU

Red Book 2011

Undiscovered Resources: 10 400 000 tU

Total 7 096 600 tU

IAEA 7

U 2060 study*

Year Demand High

Demand Reference

Demand Low

Sec Supplies

Ref Primary Supply Required

2020 97 693 82 485 56 210 7 474 75 011 2030 137 000 106 074 54 033 9 319 96 755 2040 176 306 129 663 51 856 7 819 121 844 2050 215 613 153 252 49 679 5 519 147 733 2060 254 920 176 841 47 502 5 519 171 322

IAEA 8

Supporting good practices

Uranium exploration Uranium mining & milling technologies Uranium mining and milling products/wastes (with WTS) Remediation after uranium mining and milling and their closure (with WTS &

WES)

IAEA 9

UPSAT Missions

Uranium Production Site Appraisal Team

“The principal objective of the UPSAT programme is the identification of areas that may require improvement and the formulation of recommendations for introduction of improved practices”

•Provide a peer review of any phase of a uranium mining operation

•Facilitate exchange of knowledge and experience between established and establishing players in the UPC

•Enhance overall efficiency and safety of operations for people, workers and the environment in

•countries where UPC activity takes place

•2010 – Brazil

•2013 – Tanzania

UPSAT Review of Mantra/UraniumOne Mkuju

River Project, Tanzania, 27 May - 5 June, 2013

IAEA 10

Technical Cooperation 2009-12

Regional Africa Strengthening Regional Capabilities for Uranium Mining, Milling and Regulation of Related Activities (RAF/3/007)

Regional Latin America Regional Upgrading of Uranium Exploration, Exploitation and Yellowcake Production Techniques Taking Environmental Problems into Account

Algeria Supporting Uranium Ore Processing and Purification of Concentrates

Egypt Evaluating Selected Uranium Resources and Producing and Purifying Yellow Cake

Argentina Assessing the Geology Favourability, Production Feasibility and Environmental Impact of the Exploitation of Uranium Deposits Using In Situ Leaching Technology (Phase II)

Venuzela Estimating Available Uranium Resources

Jordan Launching Uranium Exploration

Jordan Assessing a Uranium Extraction Technique

China Enhancing the Capabilities of National Institutions Supporting Nuclear Power Development

IAEA 11

Technical Cooperation 2012-13

Argentina Developing and Strengthening Human Resources for the Uranium Mining Cycle

China Evaluating Uranium and Beryllium Resources to Support the Nuclear Power Development Programme

Interregional Supporting Uranium Exploration, Resource Augmentation and Production Using Advanced Techniques

Jordan Establishing a Uranium Extraction Laboratory and Quality System

Nepal Exploring and Evaluating Uranium and Thorium Deposits

Peru Evaluating the Uraniferous Potential in the Magmatic Environments in the Eastern Andes Region

Sri Lanka Assessing Nuclear Raw Material (Uranium and Thorium) Potential and Identifying Geological Causes of Radiogenically Hazardous Areas

Tunisia Constructing a Pilot Plant for the Extraction of Uranium from Industrial Phosphoric Acid in Order to Determine Optimum Operating Parameters

Uruguay Supporting Exploration and Exploitation of Uranium and Developing National Capacity for this Activity

Vietnam Enhancing the Capability of Uranium and Related Atomic Mineral Exploration for Nuclear Energy

IAEA 12

“Train the Trainer” – Cascade effect

Amplifier effect from the “Train the Trainer” approach will be that at least one trainee per Member State will be given additional training.

To reach a level where they can deliver the training course at national level.

Support for this process can be provided via the proposed resource website.

Depending on budget, it may be possible for a expert to be in attendance at some of the national training courses to assist and provide a level of quality assurance.

IAEA 13

International expertise

Some 50 international experts imparted the training for over 500 participants during 2012-13

IAEA 14

Lectures

Over 200 lectures on specific topics; Q & A sessions

IAEA 15

Site visits

IAEA 16

Support for ‘new comer’ countries

Peaceful Uses Initiative (Extra budgetary) project 1. Supporting sustainable uranium mining in less prepared areas –

Francophone Africa 2. Support to Asia-Pacific Region Countries Embarking upon Uranium

Resource Exploitation Three year catalytic training and capacity-building project • Targeted at a range of technical, operational, regulatory, environmental,

stakeholder and governance needs • special emphasis on stimulating the conditions and good practices necessary

for developing a systematic and coherent national and regional capacity to plan, support, manage and finance sustainable uranium mining activities

• the “pathway to preparedness” • First training session planned end of 2013 Japan

IAEA 17

Coordinated research project

• Geochemical and mineralogical characterization of uranium and thorium deposits (2014-15)

• Geochemical and mineralogical characterization on uranium and thorium ore samples, leading to understanding of:

• Ore genesis • Exploration controls • Optimization of production • Co-extraction of valuable commodities • Environmental management • ‘Finger printing’

IAEA 18

Publications in pipeline Best Practice in Environmental Management of Uranium Mining, 2010 Radioelement Mapping, 2010 Uranium 2009: Resources, production and demand (“Red Book 2009”) 2010 Uranium 2011: Resources, production and demand (“Red Book 2011”) 2012 Advances in Airborne and Ground Geophysical Methods 2013 Red Book Retrospective – Country Reports, 2013 – 2014 (In 6 volumes) Uranium production from Phosphate Rocks, 2013 Classification of uranium deposits types, 2013 Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Synergies and sustainability, 2013 World Thorium resources and deposits, 2013 ISL facilities of the world, 2013 Uranium demand and supply to 2060, 2014 World uranium provinces, 2014 World distribution of uranium deposits – Print edition, 2014 Uranium 2013: Resources, production and demand (“Red Book 2013”) 2014 Sandstone uranium deposits, 2015 Metastomatite uranium deposit, 2016

IAEA 19

Recent publications

IAEA 20

Safety in perspective

IAEA 21

Meetings and workshops - 2012 1. RAF/3/007 – Regional Training course on uranium geology, Madagascar, March, 2012 2. TM on Origin of sandstone uranium deposits, Vienna, June, 2012 3. RAF/3/007 - Regional training course on uranium extraction, Egypt June, 2012 4. INT/2/015 - Co-ordination meeting for uranium priorities outlook, June, Finland, 2012 5. Uranium group meeting, Ukraine, August, 2012 6. Training / Workshop on uranium production cycle, Darwin, Australia, 13-17 August, 2012 7. RAF/3/007regional workshop on Sustainable uranium production, Tanzania, September,

2012 8. TM on uranium production cycle network, Vienna October, 2012 9. INT/2/015 - Inter-regional workshop on recent developments in evaluation of uranium and

thorium resources , Portugal, 15-18 October 2012 10. INT/2/015 - Interregional workshop on uranium deposit models and exploration China, 12-16

November, 2012 11. RAF/3007- Regional co-ordination meeting, 27-30 November, 2012 12. INT/2/015 - International workshop on uranium production from phosphate rocks, Jordan,

December, 2012 13. TM on Nuclear fuel cycle information system, Vienna, December, 2012

IAEA 22

Meetings and workshops - 2013 1. TM on best practices in uranium deposit classification, Vienna, February, 2013

2. INT/2/015 Interregional training course on optimization of U and REE recovery from Phosphoric acid, Tunisia, February, 2013

3. INT/2/015 Interregional training course on uranium mining and processing, India, April, 2013

4. TM on optimization of ISL production, Vienna, 15-18 April, 2013

5. RAF/3/007 Africa Regional training course on management of uranium mining tailings, Zambia, 13-17 May, 2013

6. Uranium group meeting, Vienna, 12-14 June, 2013

7. TM on Metasomatic uranium deposits, Vienna, 17-19 June, 2013

8. INT/2/015 Interregional workshop on uranium resources reporting, Chile, 9 – 12 July, 2013

9. RAF/3/007 Regional workshop on uranium mining and socio-economic development, DRC, 26-30 August, 2013

10. TM on thorium deposits and provinces, Vienna, 23 – 27 September, 2013

11. Uranium mining regulators exchange meeting, Czech Republic, 20-23 August, 2013

12. Uranium group meeting, Paris, 6-8 November, 2013

13. TM on uranium resources of MENA region, Egypt, 25-28 November 2013

14. INT/2/015 Interregional training course of social licensing in uranium mining, Turkey, November, 2013 [TBD]

IAEA 23

URAM 2014

International Symposium on Uranium Resources for Nuclear Fuel Cycle, June 23 - 27, Vienna -Targeting a participation of ~500 uranium professionals from around the world -Sessions on:

-Uranium geology and resources

-Uranium deposit modeling

-Advances in Exploration

-Feasibility studies

-Uranium markets

-Uranium mining

-Ore processing

-Unconventional resources

-Health, safety and environment

-Social licensing and communications

IAEA 24

You can reach me at …

Harikrishnan Tulsidas Nuclear Technology Specialist Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Materials Section International Atomic Energy Agency Tel: (+431) 2600 22758 Fax: (+431) 26007 22758 Room A26 19 Email: T.Harikrishnan@iaea.org