Ireland rejects uranium prospecting applications

Ireland rejects uranium prospecting applications, signals 'wider policy decision'

SOURCE: http://www.miningweekly.co.za/article.php?a_id=122718
By: Liezel Hill
Published: 3 Dec 07 - 21:38

Ireland's Natural Resources Minister, Eamon Ryan, said on Monday that would not grant prospecting licenses to two companies which had applied for government permission to explore for uranium in the country.

The rejections signalled a "wider policy decision to prohibit such activity in Ireland", the Ministry said in a statement.

"I have decided...as Minister of Communcications, Energy & Natural Resources, I will not license any prospecting for uranium in Ireland."
Nuclear generation of electricity is outlawed in Ireland, and Ryan said that it would be "hypocritical" to allow the mining of uranium for use in other countries.

"A prospecting license is the first step in the mining process. Granting a license carries an implicit policy agreement permitting its extraction should a viable prospect be discovered," he said.

"There are also significant environmental and public health concerns surrounding uranium mining, including contamination of ground and surface water supplies and radiation levels."

Spot uranium prices reached a record high of $138/lb earlier this year, helped, in part, by setbacks at Cigar Lake, a big new mine under construction in Canada, as well as output constraints at several other mines around the world.

Prices have since retreated somewhat, but Neal Froneman, who heads TSX- and JSE-listed Uranium One, told Mining Weekly Online last month that he expected uranium spot prices to touch new highs in the next year to 18 months.

SOURCE: http://www.miningweekly.co.za/article.php?a_id=122718