First uranium mine licence for Tanzania

Monday, 8 April 2013

Mkuju River has become the first uranium mine to receive a licence from Tanzania's ministry of energy and mineral resources.

Mkuju River is the first uranium mine to receive a licence from Tanzania's ministry of energy and mineral resources (Image: ARMZ)

The special mining licence has been granted to Mantra Tanzania, a subsidiary of Australian company Mantra Resources, acquired by Russian uranium company AtomRedMetZoloto (ARMZ) in 2012. Mkuju River is to be operated by Uranium One, the Canadian-based uranium producer recently acquired by ARMZ.

Mkuju River, in the Namtumbo district of southern Tanzania, has measured and indicated resources of 36,000 tU plus inferred resources of 10,000 tU. Company plans foresee production of 1400 tU per year from the project. UNESCO's World Heritage Committee (WHC) agreed to excise the area required for mining from the Selous Game Reserve in mid-2012.

Uranium One president Vadim Zhivov described the award of the licence as a "real breakthrough" after two years of work to secure the necessary approvals in accordance with new Tanzanian mining legislation. He described the completion of the licensing process and the start of plant construction as an "important event" for the Russian integrated state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News