WORKSHOP ON APPLICATION OF UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK CLASSIFICATION – 2009 FOR
URANIUM RESOURCES
Johannesburg 10 -14 November 2014
AN OVERVIEW OF URANIUM IN SOUTH AFRICA
Abdul O Kenan
MAJOR URANIUM DEPOSITS IN SOUTH AFRICA
SPRINGBOK
FLATS BASIN
Carbonaceous
shale & coal
WITS BASIN
Palaeo-
quartz-pebble
conglomerate
NAMAQUALAND
(Surficial
deposits)
KAROO
URANIUM
PROVINCE
Sandstone
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
WITS BASIN
Uranium exploration begun in 1944 within the Wits Basin
Consequently, uranium production (as by-product of gold) begun in 1952
Virtually, all of the historical uranium produced in South Africa came from the Wits Basin, with a small proportion being from the Palaborwa carbonatite complex
All the current uranium production is sourced from the Wits Basin
SPRINGBOK FLATS BASIN
Uranium was discovered in the Springbok Flats Basin 1976 during exploration drilling for coal
Exploration for uranium sporadically continued until 1988 when it ceased
Currently, HolGoun Uranium and Power Limited is conducting feasibility study in the basin
NAMAQUALAND REGION
Uranium in the Namaqualand region was discovered in 1975 (Henkries deposit) by Anglo American Ltd following airborne radiometric survey
Anglo American completed feasibility study in 1979
Anglo American shelved the project in the mid-1980s due to low uranium prices
NAMAQUALAND REGION
Prospecting rights was granted to Namakwa Uranium in 2007
Namakwa Uranium conducted desktop studies by reviewing previous work by Anglo
Currently, Xtract Resources Ltd is conducting exploration in the Namaqualand region
KAROO URANIUM PROVINCE
Presence of uranium first noted by Southern Oil Exploration Corporation in 1967
Union Carbide Exploration Corporation begun exploration in 1970
First resource estimates in 1972
Large-scale exploration initiated in 1973
By 1976, there were 11 companies exploring in the Karoo Uranium Province
Exploration work stopped in 1986 due to low uranium prices
Exploration work re-started in 2005 with companies such as UraMin
UraMin was later taken over by AREVA, which subsequently sold its properties to Peninsula Energy Ltd
Currently, Peninsula Energy Ltd is the dominant player in the region
Dominion Reefs –
Shiva Uranium
Cooke uranium project
& Randfontein operations: Sibanye Gold
Vaal River
Underground
(AngloGold Ashanti): Great Noligwa, Kopanang,
Moab Khotsong - treated at
SOUTH URANIUM PLANT
Tshepong, Phakisa,
Masimong & FSTUP
projects – Harmony
De Bron, Bloemhoek,
Kloof, Driefontein,
Beatrix – Sibanye
Gold
Ergo Tailings – DRD gold
Operational
Potential future
production
Vaal River
Surface
(AngloGold Ashanti): Mine Waste Solution
VAAL RIVER OPERATIONS
• Great Noligwa: Mature operation, depth up to 2400 m
• Kopanang: depth 2600 m
• Moab Khotsong: AngloGold newest mine (2003)
• Total uranium in-situ resources AngloGold Ashanti operations: 130560 t @ 0.12 kg/t
*AngloGold Ashanti 2014
FREE STATE PROJECTS • De Bron and Bloemhoek awarded mining right • Reviewing of pre-feasibility and feasibility studies completed by Sibanye Gold
*Sibanye Gold 2014
AngloGold acquired Mine Waste Solution from First Uranium Ltd
Gold One acquired Ezulwini from First Uranium Ltd
Gold One acquired Randfontein operations from Rand Uranium Ltd
In 2012
*Gold One Ltd 2013
• Sibanye Gold acquired Cooke operations from Gold One Ltd effectively from the 15th May 2014
• Sibanye Gold completed the acquisition of Wits Gold Ltd (i.e., Witwatersrand Consolidated Gold Resources Limited) on the 14th April 2014. Projects acquired include those located in the Free State
FREE STATE PROJECTS
COOKE OPERATIONS
*Sibanye Gold 2014
• Near mine exploration and extensions of existing
mining areas
• Drilling 2013 – 2014 (surface and underground): • 1256 m at Great Noligwa
• 14671 m at Kopanang
• 10587 m at Moab Khotsong
• Improved production 2013 and 2014
• Sibanye Gold begun uranium production on the 29th May 2014 at its Cooke operations
• Envisage to produce about 115 t of uranium by end of 2015; and up to about 165 t of uranium by end of 2016
• MWS expected to start uranium production in 2014 • No update on Dominion Reef Mine
• The Council for Geoscience completed high resolution geophysical survey (radiometric and magnetic) in June 2014.
• Geochemical sampling is expected to begin in January 2015
Beaufort Group: Tarkastad & Adelaide Subgroups Karoo Uranium Province lies the Late Permian Adelaide Subgroup (except satellite area, Late Triassic Elliot and Molteno Formations) Adelaide Subgroup: Teekloof & Abrahamskraal Formations Poortjie Member (Teekloof Formation) holds more than 80% of the known uranium in the basin Primary uranium-bearing minerals: coffinite and uraninite Uranium-bearing sandstones – fine grained Ore predominates in the fine-grained, horizontally bedded and low angle stratified sandstones Ore bodies are tabular, peneconcordant, and lenticular
• The properties owned by Peninsula Energy Ltd divided into Western and Eastern Sector
• Peninsula Energy has total of 42 prospecting rights
• Completed scoping study in the Eastern Sector in 2013
• Drilling: 2745 m in 2013
• Commenced pre-feasibility study, using alkaline leaching processing route
• Total in-situ resources: 25816 t @ 1.11 kg/t
*Peninsula Energy 2014
URANIUM INSITU RESOURCES – SAMREC CODE
DEPOSIT MEASURED INDICATED INFERRED
Tonnes Kg/t U3O8
Tonnes Kg/t U3O8
Tonnes Kg/t U3O8
WITS BASIN (Palaeo-quartz-pebble conglomerate)
47523
0.115 219607 0.111 300855 0.356
KAROO URANIUM PROVINCE (Sandstone)
0 0 9936 1.242 15881 1.038
SPRINGBOK FLATS (Carbonaceous shale and coal)
0 0 0 0 83462 0.43
NAMAQUALAND DEPOSIT, Henkries Central (Surficial deposits)
415 0.61 937 0.46 694 0.29
TOTAL 47938 0.119 230480 0.16 400892 0.80
83.99%
12.34% 0.3%
NUCLEAR ENERGY
1.8 GWe requires ~290 t U per year
9.6 GWe requires ~1550 t U per year
2013
2030
Energy
share
Concentrated
solar power
Combined
Cycle
Gas
Turbines
Open
Cycle
Gas
Turbines
*L Ainslee 2013
• AngloGold Ashanti Ltd at www.anglogoldashanti.com
• Department of Mineral Resources
• Gold One Ltd at www.gold1.co.za
• Lee Ainslee (NECSA)
• Peninsula Energy Ltd at www.pel.net.au
• Red Book 2014 published by the IAEA, OECD and the NEA
• Sibanye Gold Ltd at www.sibanyegold.co.za
• Valerie Nxumalo (Council for Geoscience)
• Xtract Resources Ltd
References