uranium mining in zambia still a no go.

Zambia not yet to issue license for uranium exploitation



The Zambian government has not issued any licenses to any companies for uranium mining in the country, a government official has said.

Zambian Mines Minister Kalombo Mwansa was cited by Tuesday's Zambia Daily Mail as saying the government had not granted any licenses for mining uranium, the basic material for nuclear technology, and it was consulting with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to come up with a policy.

The IAEA is being consulted so that a policy could be framed and approved before any uranium mining activities could be done, the minister said.

There have been reports of uranium deposits in Zambia under exploratory works being undertaken by Australia-based Equinox Mineral Ltd.

The company, which owns Lumwana copper project in Zambia's Northwestern province, is planning to re-evaluate the potential for a significant uranium by-product from its Mwinilunga mine.

Meanwhile, another company Omega Corporation has also expressed interest in opening up a plant with an investment of 60 million U. S. dollars for mine uranium in Siavonga areas in Southern province.

Omega Corporation started the exploration project in June 2006 and is expected to end in July this year, according to the newspaper.

The company intended to start construction of the mine as soon as it gets a license from the Zambian government and the production of uranium is expected to start in October 2008 if the license is awarded.

Source: Xinhua

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