Tanzania has inched closer to starting uranium mining after putting in
place key legislations to control the business.
The move will now allow the Canadian based uranium firm, Uranium One
Inc to start uranium production at Mkuju River project before the end of the
year.
The Russian based miner Atomredmetzoloto (ARMZ), which owns 51 per cent
of Uranium One, bought Mantra Resources Ltd and its Mkuju River project in
Tanzania last year and is going on with the project following the legislation.
The Mkuju River Project is to be completed in the first quarter of 2012
in accordance with a revised feasibility study.
The 2010 Mining Act and its regulations point out that the role of the
government would be to control exploration, storage and export of uranium to
avert smuggling into the black markets especially for manufacture of military
weapons.
Uranium One is working on a project in south Tanzania, which it claims
has an inferred mineral resource of 35.9 million pounds of uranium oxide, and
Uranex’s project in central Tanzania has an estimated 6.7 million pound
resource.
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| VP Dr Bilal |
The two firms were among 20 companies licensed to explore for uranium
in East Africa’s second largest economy.
Gharib Bilal, Vice President of Tanzania says that despite being
hazardous, uranium has proven to be the most efficient and reliable source of energy
that has contributed greatly in the industrialisation of the West.
“Nuclear power is the best non-renewable sources of energy produced
using Uranium mined in different parts of the world,” said Dr Bilal.
Recent records show Tanzania has uranium oxide deposits of at least 54
million kilogrammes yet to be extracted.
There are three proposed key uranium projects countrywide namely Bahi
North in Dodoma region, Manyoni in Singida and Mkuju River in Ruvuma region.
Tanzania also has diamonds, Tanzanite and coal. Mineral exports earned
$1.08 billion in 2008, up from $983 million in the previous year.
The contribution of the mining sector to GDP is projected to grow to 10
per cent by 2025.
Source: The East African,www.theeastafrican.co.ke, reported by Mike Mande in Dar es Salaam
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