INVESTMENTS IN URANIUN MINING IN ARMENIA TO TOTAL HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
Arka News Agency, Armenia
April 23 2007
YEREVAN, April 23. /ARKA/. Investments in the mining of uranium in
Armenia may total dozens or hundreds of millions of dollars, Head of
the RF Federal Atomic Energy Agency Sergey Kiriyenko told reporters.
"Investments in the mining of uranium in the Syunik region alone may
total dozens up to hundreds of millions of dollars," Kiriyenko said.
According to him, uranium does not normally prove to be the only
mineral, and essential economic improvement can be expected if an
Armenian-Russian JV extracts not only uranium, but also associated
minerals.
"We have verified the geological information of the Soviet times and
understand that the reserves of natural uranium in Armenia amount to
30ths tons. This is rather interesting," Kiriyenko said.
According to him, although the reserves are not so large, the deposits
are not thoroughly prospected, and thorough prospecting shows larger
reserves in each deposit.
"So we hope that detailed geological prospecting will show reserves
half as much again, or twice as much as forecast. Correspondingly,
in our protocol we have determined the companies and approved the
plan of priority actions. The meaning of the plan is that by the end
of 2007 we must complete the work," Kiriyenko said.
According to him, geological groups are to arrive in Armenia during
the next few weeks to start supplementary exploration of the deposit
in cooperation with specialists of the "Geoeconomy" CJSC.
He added that it will underlie the feasibility report, and the forma
of cooperation will be chosen.
"The tentative hypothesis is the establishment of an equally shared
JV. We believe that such a JV must be established by the end of the
year, licensed and launch its activities," Kiriyenko said.
Speaking of the uranium reserves, he stressed that Armenia can satisfy
its needs for natural uranium with the forecast reserves, and can even
export it. Kiriyenko also said that Armenia expressed its interest in
joining the international center for uranium enrichment being founded
in Angarsk.
"The organizational work has been completed, and we hope that a
final intergovernmental agreement will be signed in May, and the draft
documents on Armenia’s accession to it are ready. In this case, Armenia
will get access to the technological chain, including extraction,
enrichment and use of nuclear fuel at the NPP," he said.
"Thus, Armenia becomes another country having access to the
technological chain of peaceful development of atomic energy. This
will raise Armenia’s level in the world and of our cooperation," he
said. Kiriyenko added that Armenian-Russian cooperation has recently
been actively developed. He also pointed out that Russia guarantees
the supply of fuel to the Armenian HPP as long as it operates.
"Armenia and Russia are starting comprehensive cooperation in nuclear
energy development," he said.
In his turn, RA Minister of Ecology Vardan Aivazyan stressed that joint
extraction of uranium will certainly contribute to the construction
of a new NPP in Armenia.
According to him, the presence of uranium deposits will allow Armenia
to be a self-sufficient country in the energy aspect, especially now
that gas and oil reserves have become a political factor.
"Uranium as raw material of the 21st century can also become a serious
factor, and we will not have any problems with constantly exploding
gas mains, rise in oil and gas price," he said.
He also added that no uranium will be extracted in the territory
adjacent to Lake Sevan.
During the visit of the Russian delegation headed by Sergey Kirityenko,
a protocol on geological prospecting, extraction and processing
of uranium ore was signed between the Rosatom and the RA Ministry
of Ecology.
Also, the sides signed a contact for preparation and substantiation
of the expert opinion on the uranium reserves in Armenia between the
Russian Research Institute Chemical Technologies and the Geoeconomics
CJSC (Armenia).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress