The east African nation of nation of Tanzania is poised to enter the market as a uranium producer, but is holding back until the price of the fissile metal rises, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a news release Monday.
The IAEA has supported Tanaznia's early preparation process for moving into the complex and potentially hazardous endeavor of uranium mining, including sending an inspection team known as the IAEA Uranium Production Site Appraisal Team (UPSAT) that reviews the country's readiness for undertaking such a complex endeavor.
The UPSAT team visited Tanzania in 2013, helping the country outline steps for security and safety processes it will need when the time comes to start mining.
Since 2013, “a lot of progress has taken place,” said Dennis Mwalongo, head of the Department of Ionizing Radation at the Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission.
The government has been actively undertaking the recommendations made by the IAEA team, he said.
Among the steps taken, the government has completed the first construction phase of the TAEC laboratory complex, which will provide radioanalytical and calibration services to support regulatory oversight of uranium mining,” Mwalongo said.
The most advanced uranium mining project in Tanzania is the Mkuju River site, which has measured and indicated resources of 36,000 metric tons of uranium and 10,000 metric tons of inferred resources.
Mining at that site will be done by Russian mining company Uranium One, which has plans to produce 1,400 metric tons of uranium annually.
With the 2003 Atomic Energy Act, Tranzania became the first country in East or Central Africa to endorse a pursuit of domestic nuclear power. TAEC, the country's regulator, has, meanwhile, pushed to adopt legislation to address governing concerns for “exploration, construction, mining and milling, packaging and transportation, and for the final decommissioning of uranium mine sites,” the IAEA noted.
Tanzania has received advise and technical support from the IAEA, the European Commission, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission.