Business group gets into debate by supporting repeal of a ban on mining radioactive minerals By Kurt Kristensen
Commercial groups in southern Greenland see a uranium mine in Narsaq as a way to re-energise the regionandrsquo;s failing economy.
The Narsaq Business Council recently came out in favour of the mine, putting it at odds with environmental activists and many residents, who are in favour of maintaining Greenlandandrsquo;s total ban on mining radioactive minerals.
But council chair Ib Laursen said the mine could help replace many of the jobs lost in recent years.
andlsquo;The fish processing plant isnandrsquo;t doing well, neither is the slaughterhouse. Eskimo Furs has closed, and Narsaq Brewery has gone bankrupt,andrsquo; Laursen said.
He added that with slowing tourism and financial problems in neighbouring Iceland, it was likely that the number of families suffering financially would increase in the coming years.
The Narsaq Business Councilandrsquo;s announcement came as Energy and Infrastructure Minister Kim Kielsen was preparing to address parliament on the effects of lifting the 1988 ban on uranium mining.
With increasing concerns about climate change, attitudes towards nuclear energy have changed, and many see the carbon-free energy form as the lesser of two evils. Greenlandandrsquo;s soil is so rich in uranium that mining companies often have to go to great lengths to avoid mining it as a by-product of other minerals. Should the ban be lifted, experts believe the island would surpass China as the worldandrsquo;s largest exporter.
Hans Kristian Schønwandt, chairman of Australian-owned Greenland Minerals andamp; Energy, said if the ban was lifted, a mine near Narsaq employing 150 could open within five years. More related jobs would also be created in the town.
He said the company estimates the mine would be active for about 40 years.
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