https://www.miningweekly.com

Australia’s Minerals Council unfazed by US uranium investigation

Australia’s Minerals Council unfazed by US uranium investigation

Photo by Bloomberg

19th July 2018

By: Esmarie Iannucci

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor: Australasia

     

Font size: - +

PERTH (miningweekly.com) – The Minerals Council of Australia (MCA) appeared unfazed over a decision by the US Department of Commerce to launch an investigation on uranium imports.

An MCA spokesperson told Mining Weekly Online on Thursday that Australia had been a long-standing uranium supplier to the US. In 2017, US nuclear utilities purchased almost one-fifth of their requirements from Australia.

“We note the focus of concern appears to be on supply from State-owned companies, which is not an issue for supply from Australia. The Australian uranium industry will continue to monitor these developments closely.”

Australia is currently the world’s third-largest producer of uranium, and exports more than 7 000 t of uranium each year, with uranium exports adding A$642-million to the Australian economy in 2017/18.

The country currently has three operating mines, the Ranger operation, in the Northern Territory, and the Olympic Dam and Beverley/Four Mile operation, in South Australia.

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday announced an investigation into whether the present quantity and circumstances of uranium ore and product imports into the US threatened to impair national security.

The investigation will canvass the entire uranium sector from the mining industry through enrichment, defence and industrial consumption.

Ross said the decision to investigate uranium imports came after two US uranium mining companies filed a petition requesting the investigation into imports, with the Secretary noting that three US companies with mining operations had been idled in recent years, and that the two petitioners, which account for over half of all uranium mined in the US, have laid off over half of their workforce in the last two years and were operating roughly at 9% and 13% of their respective capacities.

Edited by Mariaan Webb
Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Comments

Showroom

Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East
Weir Minerals Africa and Middle East

Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa (Pty) Ltd
Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa (Pty) Ltd

Goodwin Submersible Pumps Africa is sole distributors for Goodwin electrically driven, submersible, abrasion resistance slurry pumps.

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
Hyphen, Eva mine, ferrochrome price make headlines
27th March 2024
Resources Watch
Resources Watch
27th March 2024

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.111 0.143s - 90pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now