Dr. Mohamed H. Taha

Interregional workshop on uranium, coal and oil & gas classification:

Towards a better understanding of energetic basins and application of

UNFC-2009

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

16 - 19 August, 2016

Uranium Resources in Egypt

Conventional Resources

Unconventional Resources

Phosphate Rock

Black Sand

Granites

Shale

Phosphate Importance

Main Challenges for sustainable development in the 21 century are

food security and energy security.

These Challenges are in favors of U recovery from phosphoric acid.

Distribution of phosphate deposits in Egypt

Nile Valley Phosphate

Photographs Show the phosphatic open-cust mine of El-

Sibaiya East. Note: the product phosphatic bed of Duwi

Formation underlain the Dakhla Formation.

Chemical composition of El-Sebaeya

phosphate deposit

Compound Carbonate VarietyCarbonate‐ Siliceous

Variety

Clayey –Carbonate

Variety

P2O3 22.7 21.24 20.28

CaO2 48.06 38.44 40.16

SiO2 4.80 13.05 12.07

Al2O3 0.32 0.42 0.95

Fe2O3 0.94 1.03 1.50

MgO 0.32 0.44 0.86

SO3 0.20 ----- ----

CO2 17.70 11.10 12.06

I.R. 4.86 14.08 12.04

UNFC-2009 Categories

Uranium is recovered from phosphates as a by-

product therefore, classification of uranium by

UNFC 2009 system is completely depends on the

classification of phosphate deposit by UNFC 2009

system also.

According to CRIRSCO Template in Sebaeya-Nile Valley deposit,

there are about 49.0 Mt proved phosphate Reserves (34 Mt in

East Sebaeya and 15 Mt in east Sebaeya). In addition, there are

about 180 Mt Indicated Resources of phosphates in Sebaeya area

(80 Mt in East Sebaeya and 100 Mt in West Sebaeya. The Inferred

phosphate Resource in the two El-Sebaeya projects is about

2,384.0 Mt. Assuming an 80 per cent recovery for the Resources,

a total of 2,100.2 Mt phosphate rocks are classified according to

UNFC-2009 as G1, G2 and G3 quantities.

G axis

EI-Nasr Mining Company is mining phosphate rock from El-Sebaeya

site many years and in 2013, the production was about 3 Mt. These

quantities are directly sold in the market. The quantities of

phosphate rock reported under the currently operating mine can be

considered as F 1.1, i.e., “extraction is currently taking place”.

World consumption of P2O5 contained in fertilizers and industrial

uses was projected to increase gradually from 43.7 million tons in

2015 to 48.2 million tons in 2019. This means that phosphate rock

production project in Sebaeya site is E1.1, i.e. “extraction and sale is

economic on the basis of current market conditions and realistic

assumptions of future market conditions”.

F axis

E axis

Phosphate Reserves and Resources in Nile valley, Egypt, Effective date: 2013

According to UNFC 2009 system, phosphate resources in Nile Valley

are designated as Commercial Project and Potentially Commercial Project.

Area Project Average P

2O

5

Content, %

CRIRSCO

Classification UNFC-2009 Class

UNFC-2009

Sub-Class

UNFC-2009 Categories Phosphate rock

quantities (Mt)

Estimated PR

recoverable, Mt E F G

Nile Valley

Deposit

E. El-Sebaeya 29-30

Proved Reserves Commercial Project On production 1.1 1.1 1 34.0 34.0

Indicated Resources Potentially

Commercial Project

Justified for

Development 2 2.1

2 80.0 64.0

Inferred Resources 3 1,674.0 1,339.2

Additional Quantities in Place 3.3 4 1,2,3

350.8

W. El-Sebaeya 27

Proved Reserves Commercial Project On production 1.1 1.1 1 15.0 15.0

Indicated Resources Potentially

Commercial Project

Justified for

Development 2 2.1

2 100.0 80.0

Inferred Resources 3 710.0 568.0

Additional Quantities in Place 3.3 4 1,2,3

162.0

Total quantities (excluding Additional Quantities in Place) 2,100.2

Total quantities (including Additional Quantities in Place) 2,613.0

In the beginning of 2015, the Egyptian President

decided to re-start the construction process for

the phosphate complex in El-Sebaeya location.

The phosphate complex will produce about

200,000 ton P2O5/ year phosphoric acid.

The average uranium content in the El-Sebaeya phosphate projects is

about 90 ppm. It is assumed that:

• 72 % phosphate rock being used in phosphoric acid production.

• 90 % of the uranium present in the phosphate rock will report to

phosphoric acid and the rest will remain in the phosphogypsum

co-product.

• 90 % of the uranium can be extracted from the phosphoric acid

using currently available technology.

After applying all the above recovery factors, it is estimated that

approximately 107,173.20 tonnes of uranium can eventually be

recovered from the phosphate rocks.

G axis

The pre-feasibility study for uranium recovery from El-Sebaeya

phosphate rock is under progress and is expected to be completed

by the end of 2016. Therefore, uranium quantities from El-Sebaeya

phosphate rock project are considered F 2.1 “Project activities are

ongoing to justify development in the foreseeable future”.

The OPEX for uranium production process by this complex will be

$40-50 /Ib U3O8 ($100/Kg U) which is close to the uranium long

term and spot price in August 2015 ($ 35 - $ 45/Ib U3O8 or $ 80/Kg

U). This means that uranium recovery from Sebaeya phosphate rock

can be considered E2 – “extraction and sale is expected to become

economically viable in the foreseeable future”.

F axis

E axis

Uranium Resources in Nile valley phosphate deposits, Effective date: 2013

Area Project Average U

Content, ppm

CRIRSCO

Classification UNFC-2009 Class

UNFC-2009 Sub-

Class

UNFC-2009

Categories Estimated recoverable U

from PA, (tU) E F G

Nile Valley

Deposit

E. El-Sebaeya

90

Proved Reserves

Potentially Commercial

Project

Development

Pending 2 2.1

1 1,735.0

Indicated Resources 2 3,265.9

Inferred Resources 3 68,339.4

Additional Quantities in Place 3.3 4 1,2,3 87,579.7

W. El-Sebaeya

Proved Reserves

Potentially Commercial

Project

Development

Pending 2 2.1

1 765.5

2 4,082.4 Indicated Resources

Inferred Resources 3 28,985.0

Additional Quantities in Place 3.3 4 1,2,3 40,417.1

Total quantities (excluding Additional Quantities in Place) 107,173.2

Total quantities (including Additional Quantities in Place) 235,170.0

According to UNFC 2009 system, uranium resources in Nile Valley are

designated as Potentially Commercial Project.

• Uranium recovered from phosphates as a co- or by-product

therefore, classification of uranium by UNFC 2009 system is

completely depends on the classification of phosphate deposit by

UNFC 2009 system also.

• Total quantities of uranium estimated for Nile valley deposit is

107,173 tones U, which is the most significant source of uranium

in Egypt as on date.

• Based on the project activities such as pre-feasibility study that is

ongoing, this uranium can be classified as a Potentially Commercial

Project.

To

Dr. Hari

Tulsidas