DANEROS HAS 3RD HIGHEST GRADE URANIUM RESOURCE(DANEROS) at average 2656ppm. No 1 is ERA's Jabiluka at 4800ppm; no 2 is Alliance's Four Mile at 3400ppm; no 4 Paladin at Oobagtoma at 1200ppm.
Low-grade uranium ores contain less than 0.01% yellowcake, i.e. they are at least 10 times less concentrated than
the high-grade ores. To obtain 1 kg of yellowcake, at least 10 tonnes of low-grade ore has to be mined. This entails a
huge increase in the fossil energy required for mining and milling. Van Leeuwen and Smith find that the fossil energy
consumption for these steps in the nuclear fuel chain becomes so large that nuclear energy emits total quantities of CO2 that are comparable with those from an equivalent combined cycle gas-fired power station.
Furthermore, the quantity of known uranium reserves, with ore grades richer than the critical level of 0.01%, is very
limited. The vast majority of the world?s known uranium resources are low-grade. With the current contribution by
nuclear energy of 16% of the world?s electricity production, the high-grade reserves would only last several decades.
If nuclear energy were to be expanded to contribute (say) half of the world?s electricity, high-grade reserves would last less than a decade. No doubt more reserves of high-grade uranium ore will be discovered, perhaps even doubling
current reserves, but this would be insufficient for a sustainable substitute for coal.
(soruce:http://www.energyscience.org.au/FS02%20CO2%20Emissions.pdf)
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