Rio Tinto’s Rössing Uranium was studying the economic feasibility of building a heap-leach pad and a sulphuric acid plant as it entered a new phase of growth that could result in production rising to 5 500 t of uranium oxide a year by 2012, the company said last week.

Pilot heap-leach operations could begin in January 2009 with investment approval possible in May.

The feasibility study for the sulphuric acid plant was due to be completed next month for the possible construction of a 1 200-t/d sulphur-burning acid plant that would require 14 MW of power.

The cost of the projects was still being calculated.

The proposed heap-leach pad would be fed from low-grade material unsuitable for the 4 500-t/y-capacity tank-leach plant.

The tank-leach plant is expected to produce 4 000 t/y by December. The last time that the company produced 4 000 t/y was in 1990.

The focus of the company is growth.

Rössing supplies 7% of current world uranium oxide demand. Roughly a third of the operation’s product is shipped to Japan, another third to China and the remainder to the US for conversion and enrichment at specialised facilities as a source of fuel for the generation of electricity at nuclear power stations.

One drum of uranium oxide is the equivalent of about 8 000 t of coal or 40 000 barrels of oil.

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