Forums des énergies : société, écologie et technologies propres

Did67 a écrit :Le coût du combustible tel qu'il sort de chez Areva avant d'entrer dans les réacteurs ou le coût du minerai départ gisement ???

La purification à Pierrelatte nécessite une usine (pour alimenter les 48 autres)... Donc rien que le coût énergétique à ce niveau ??? D'où ma question...

Niger : fin du bras de fer entre Niamey et Areva sur l’uranium

Agence Ecofin 27 Mai 2014

Le groupe nucléaire français Areva, troisième producteur mondial d'uranium en 2013, a enfin signé, le 26 mai avec le gouvernement nigérien, un nouvel accord sur les conditions d'exploitation des gisements d'uranium dans le nord désertique du pays, rapporte RFI.

Cela marque la fin de plusieurs mois de négociations à rebondissements au cours desquelles le groupe français s’est opposé à de nouveaux termes, économiquement plus avantageux pour le Niger, dans la concession minière sur les gisements uranifères dans le département d’Arlit.

Pour la cause, le président du directoire d'Areva Luc Oursel a fait le déplacement de Niamey où il a signé l'accord de partenariat stratégique avec l’Etat nigérien représenté par le ministre des mines Omar Hamidou Tchiana. « L'accord inclut le renouvellement des conventions minières des sociétés Somaïr et la Cominak dans le cadre de la loi minière de 2006. Le même accord soumet les deux sociétés d'Areva au mécanisme de neutralité de la TVA », rapporte RFI.

Plusieurs modifications ont été introduites dans l’accord dont la nomination, désormais, des directeurs généraux de nationalité nigérienne à la tête des sociétés Somaïr et la Cominak, en 2014 et 2016.

Par ailleurs, Areva et Niger ont convenu de la mise en exploitation du troisième gisement d’uranium à Imouraren, pour une production annuelle de 5000 tonnes, dont la date de lancement « dépendra de l'amélioration des conditions du marché international ».

...économiquement plus avantageux pour le Niger

Australia's environmental agency rejects Cameco uranium mine plan

August 01

Australia’s environmental protection agency has scuppered Cameco’s Yeelirrie uranium mine proposal, announcing on Wednesday that the project fails to protect underground fauna. Chairman of the EPA Tom Hatton flagged up 3 groundwater species that would be particularly threatened should mining commence in the area.

Cameco, Canada’s largest uranium producer, has been quick to contest the ruling, arguing that the risks to Australia’s wildlife can be mitigated. The company announced in a press release that; “We believe that with further sampling and research, subterranean fauna can be appropriately managed Yeelirrie and we will work with government agencies and stakeholders to find a way forward.”

Analysts have taken a more skeptical tone on the project. Cantor Fitzgerald Equity Research has assigned no value to the project, concluding that the market will not see production from Yeelirrie any time soon. Cameco has been squeezed by the slumping uranium market in recent years, shifting its focus towards core assets in Kazakhstan and Canada. The company assured investors on Wednesday that: "Cameco believes the long-term fundamentals of the nuclear industry are strong and we are taking prudent steps to prepare our uranium projects for improved market conditions."

Yeelirrie is one of two projects in Western Australia owned by Cameco. The mining company bought the development four years ago for US$430 million in a deal with BHP Billiton. Cameco executives were planning to create two open pits on the site, processing facilities and infrastructure routes to transport the uranium oxide products. The Canadian company was planning to extract around 7,500 tonnes of uranium from the site per year. Yeelirrie is located roughly 650km from the city of Perth.

The project has faced opposition and protest from local aboriginal groups, many of whom view Yeelirrie as a sacred site. Cameco’s proposal, submitted to the EPA in 2014 was more ambitious that BHP’s original plan and would have attempted to mine a larger quantity of uranium over a shorter time period. Yeelirrie is estimated to contain roughly 49 thousand tonnes of uranium resources.

Cameco stock has been a headache for investors of late, sinking to 12 year lows at the end of July. The company reported Q2 losses of US$104 million as Japan has struggled to restart the majority of it nuclear generators following the Fukushima disaster back in 2011. There could be some relief in the uranium market over coming years however, as China and India forge ahead with plans for multiple nuclear reactor sites.

Uranium prices hit 11-year low

July 20, 2016

Uranium prices have hit an 11-year low as the market struggles with oversupply of the key nuclear material, belying predictions for strong growth in nuclear power in countries such as China.
The price for uranium hit $24.9 a pound on Monday, its lowest level since 2005, according to Ux Consulting, which tracks the lowest available price in the market for delivery within three to 12 months.

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The weakness in the uranium market has led producers to cut output. In April Canadian uranium company Cameco, which owns the world’s biggest uranium mine, said it would reduce output from its Canadian and US operations in response to the low prices.
Cameco’s uranium sales fell 16 per cent in the first quarter to 5.9m pounds. The company’s shares have dropped 19 per cent this year.
The uranium price over the next 12 months the price is likely to be fairly flat, according to Nicolas Carter, executive vice-president at Ux Consulting.
Still, some investors are betting on an eventual rebound in uranium prices, as nuclear power continues to expand in China.
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Laser enrichment moving ahead with DOE selling 300,000 tonnes of depleted uranium to GE Hitachi Global Laser Enrichment

November 11, 2016

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has agreed to sell around 300,000 tonnes of depleted uranium hexafluoride to GE Hitachi Global Laser Enrichment (GLE) for re-enrichment at a proposed plant to be built near DOE's Paducah site in Kentucky. The agreement paves the way for commercialisation of Silex laser enrichment technology.

GLE was selected by the DOE in 2013 to enter contract negotiations on the construction of a laser enrichment plant former at the former gaseous enrichment site at Paducah, Kentucky to re-enrich its inventory of high-assay depleted uranium tails. The tails, left over from previous enrichment operations, contain a lower proportion of uranium-235 than in naturally occurring uranium but can potentially be re-enriched for use in nuclear fuel.

GLE will finance, construct, own and operate the Paducah Laser Enrichment Facility, which will be a commercial enrichment plant licensed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Re-enrichment of the 300,000 tonnes of tails would take place over 40 years, producing around 100,000 tonnes of "natural-grade" uranium which would be sold into the world uranium market. The balance of the material - low assay tails - would be returned to the DOE for disposition.
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La production mondiale d’uranium devrait atteindre 76 493 tonnes en 2020, selon GlobalData

Agence Ecofin 27 janv 2017

Selon un rapport de la firme de recherche GlobalData, la production mondiale d’uranium évoluera à un taux de croissance annuel composé de 4,3%, pour atteindre 76 493 t en 2020. La firme explique ses prévisions par la croissance prévue de la demande de nouveaux réacteurs.

En 2017, la consommation mondiale d’uranium devrait augmenter de 5% pour atteindre 88 500 tonnes d’oxyde. Elle devrait croître au cours des deux prochaines années, du fait de l’expansion prévue de la capacité nucléaire en Chine, en Inde, en Russie et en Corée du Sud. Pour satisfaire cette demande croissante, les producteurs d’uranium devront améliorer leur production. Le pari n’est cependant pas gagné d’avance car en 2015, la production d’uranium des Etats-Unis a chuté de 32%, tandis que celle de la Namibie a baissé de 20%.

« Cela est dû à des baisses respectives de 33% dans les mines Smith Ranch-Highland et Crow Butte aux États-Unis, de 20% et 13,6% aux mines Rossing et Langer Heinrich en Namibie », explique Cliff Smee, responsable de la recherche et de l’analyse minière chez GlobalData.

La Namibie est actuellement le 4ème producteur mondial d’uranium.