Iran to extract own uranium

"Iran will begin extracting uranium from deep under its central desert in less than two years, an official told The Associated Press on Saturday during a tour of the country's uranium mine.


"We will be able to extract uranium ore in the first half of 2006 from Saghand mine. More than 77 percent of the work has been accomplished," Ghasem Soleimani, the British-trained director of mining operations at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said at the mine Saturday.


Saghand consists of an open pit with minimal reserves and a deep mine reached by two shafts. The total estimated reserves were 1.73 million tons of uranium ore, of "average" or medium quality of 553 parts per million. The mine has a capacity of 132,000 tons of uranium ore per year.

Soleimani said uranium could be extracted from the shafts as early as mid 2005 if the Iranian leadership wants things speeded up.

Soleimani said a few tons have already been extracted from the open pit for testing at a yellowcake production plant currently under construction in Ardakan, another city in central Iran."

Iran to extract own uranium
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