nuclear fuel ukraine decision imminent, page-13

Looks like they are expecting to produce more uranium in the near term.


http://ukraine-observer.com/index.php?c=1290


Ukraine restarts uranium exports with order from German company

KYIV, Feb. 22: Ukraine has signed a contract to export uranium to Germany in the first quarter of 2008, the director of the Fuel and Energy Ministry's department for nuclear electricity and atomic industry, Natalya Shumkova, has said. "Today we decided to export uranium in the first quarter, we have not decided yet on the second, third and fourth quarters," she said.

Shumkova explained the resumption of uranium exports by saying "the Eastern ore mining and dressing mill needs to exist somehow. However, there is no money in the state budget or in the tariff of Enerhoatom, which operates Ukrainian nuclear power plants, to buy uranium."

The contract on uranium export in the first quarter of 2008 was signed by the country’s only producer, the Eastern ore mining and dressing mill, and Germany company Urangesellschaft, which has had a history of buying uranium from Ukraine. Ukraine produces around 800 tons of uranium a year. Uranium exports were suspended in 2007 so as to create an annual reserve of 2,400 tons, which will take three years to accomplish.

Ukraine is planning to increase uranium production from the current 800 tons a year to 1,400 tons in several years. The country hopes to be able to fully satisfy its uranium needs by 2015. The demand for uranium required by Ukrainian nuclear power plants is satisfied by around 30 per cent. Ukraine is the world's ninth largest producer of uranium.