Guyana could begin uranium exports by 2014

-Canadian company emphasises environmental, worker safety

Guyana may soon be one of the world’s uranium suppliers if a Canada-based company finds at least 50 million pounds of the radioactive material in Region Eight, a spokeswoman for the company said yesterday.

Nancy Chand-Palmateer, Vice President for Investor Relations of U308, also assured that the local subsidiary, Prometheus (Guyana) Inc. was conducting exploratory work in accordance with international safety standards.

U308 and Prometheus, which both came to prominence two years ago when an American survey plane disappeared with experts and crew aboard, reported that the company discovered probable traces of the metallic chemical, estimated at 7 million pounds, through surveys conducted at the Kurupung/Aricheng area in the Cuyuni/Mazaruni earlier this year. The company said it has so far spent CDN$20 million on exploratory work here.

Ongoing exploration in the area indicates that the Kurupung Batholith could host 50 million pounds of uranium and to date Prometheus has identified five uranium-bearing structures with potential growth. Mineralisation in the area by the company encompasses drilling activities with the maximum depths utilised being in the vicinity of 200 feet.

Concerns were raised several months ago in the Stabroek News‘ letter columns about the environmental safety during mining of the radioactive material. But Chand-Palmateer told Stabroek News that the company was ensuring the safety of workers and the local environment as the company sought to start its operations here “on the right foot.”

She stated that of all mining activities, uranium exploration is one of the safest, in which the parties involved must comply with stringent environmental, safety and occupational health standards which are increasingly governed by international standards and external audits. At the same time, a government-held bond as security for estimated cost of rehabilitation of the environment is also of paramount importance and is on the agenda of the company.

Employees work in a safe and healthy environment, she stated, with protective measures such as frequent malaria tests for employees, use of worker radiation monitoring devices and protective gear by employees as well as contamination control measures and monitoring being utilised.

While it carries out its activities in the Aricheng/ Kurupung area, Prometheus has been working in tandem with the Amerindian Affairs Ministry as regards the interest of the communities/locals in the area and to date 80% of the company’s employees are Guyanese, with 65% of them being from Amerindian communities.

U308 has been exploring uranium projects in the Roraima Basin in Region 8, and at Kurupung in the Cuyuni, for the naturally radioactive metal since 2007.  The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has granted exploratory rights to the company for a total of 1 million hectares.

If the company strikes the potential 50 million pound mark through additional field work including drilling, it intends to expand its operations here, in accordance with the mining regulations, conduct feasibility studies, undertake environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and outline its mine plan for the area. After that, Prometheus (Guyana) Inc. will apply to GGMC for a mining license to commence mining of uranium in 2014, eventually making Guyana an exporter of the energy-source in compliance with United Nations (UN) protocols.

Prometheus predicts that in another three years, the expected demand for nuclear power worldwide is expected to climb with demand perceived at that time to outweigh supply.

The company is currently in its growing stage and it is working towards achieving the goal of providing uranium to the world market through “mining in a peaceful environment,” said Chand-Palmateer.

She said the world’s growing demand for clean and safe nuclear power is projected to double by 2030. Further, global demands to reduce greenhouse gases due to global warming concerns are also among the reasons Prometheus is hoping to build its reputation as a competent uranium provider to the international market.

Chand-Palmateer said that with U308’s acquisition of the Australian company Mega Uranium Limited’s South American uranium properties, funds from that deal are currently being channelled towards Prometheus exploration activities here. The company holds CDN$8M on its balance sheet to advance resource expansion and exploration activities locally.

She explained that the Kurupung/Aricheng and Roraima projects are being separately administered by the company, with the difference at the two locations being the type of uranium present at each location. At Kurupung, the project termed the “Kurupung Batholith,” albitite-hosted uranium-bearing structures are being analysed, while at the Roraima Basin, an area west of Guyana which expands into Venezuela and Brazil, unconformity-related uranium is being examined.

Chand-Palmateer said that the Kurupung project seems more viable, and Prometheus has been capitalising on studies conducted in the area by French company Areva, which were undertaken in the 1980s. Areva is one of the largest providers of nuclear energy resources on the world market. She elaborated that the 7 million pound initial resource find in the area was complimented through compliance with NI 43-101 standards, the internationally accepted benchmark for the presence of uranium and characteristic of the resource typically in the 50 million to130 million pound range.

In the Roraima Basin, Chand-Palmateer stated that uranium target structures there are similar to the Athabasca Basin in Canada, which contains one third of the world’s uranium reserves.

The company has been working with another company which carried out exploration exercise for gold in the area recently. Prometheus plans to drill target areas in the area sometime this year as it explore the area.

As regards the company and its ability to undertake projects of this magnitude, Chand-Palmateer said that U308 was formulated via inputs from proven professionals.

Its board comprises three administrators of Mega Uranium, three from U308 and others subject to shareholder approval among others. Locally, the subsidiary is headed by Shazadh Khan, who has some 10 years experience in mineral exploration projects.

From an economic standpoint, the company has been contributing to the communities in the area, including schools, tools, generators, mechanical assistance as well as training in the field of information technology and it has provided sponsorship to some 11 persons to pursue studies in the field of geology at the University of Guyana.

U308 operations are South American based, with similar projects being undertaken in Colombia and Argentina, the latter economy has been utilizing nuclear energy as the government there allocated funding to expand its nuclear program recently.

In Colombia, significant quantities of uranium have been identified but analyses are to be conducted by external bodies to verify same.