Mining news from TanzaniaBY JASTON BINALA
20th August 2010
Uranium
Tanzania and the US have started talks which aim at assisting the former to
safely tap its rich uranium deposits discovered recently at two locations in
the country.
The US government has said in a statement it is assisting several African
nations which aim at secure development of uranium resources and peaceful
applications of nuclear technology.
Following two recent commercial discoveries in the central and southern regions
of the country, Tanzania is looking forward to begin mining and processing
uranium within in the next three years, the US statement issued in Dar es
Salaam said.
Between August 9 and 10, this year, the US Department of State Coordinator for
Threat Reduction Programmes, Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, led an interagency
delegation to Dar es Salaam for nonproliferation consultations with Tanzania
government officials.
“In consultations with Tanzanian officials, they discussed a range of topics
including uranium mining and milling infrastructure; nuclear safety, security
and safeguards; strategic trade and border security; and possible areas of
increased cooperation,” statement said.
Representatives from the State Department, Department of Energy’s National
Nuclear Security Administration, and US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
accompanied Ambassador Jenkins.
Tanzanian officials were led by the Commissioner for Minerals and were
accompanied by the Chief Inspector of Mines; Directors for Science and
Technology (Ministry of Communication Science and Technology) and Policy and
Planning (Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation); Chief
Executive Officers from Tanzania Atomic Energy Commission, Surface and Marine
Transport Regulatory Authority, Tanzania Ports Authority, Tanzania Revenue
Authority and representatives from the State House and Ministry of Home Affairs.
“These discussions mark an important beginning of US-Tanzanian efforts to work
more closely together on mutually held international security and
nonproliferation objectives,” the Embassy statement said.
While in Dar es Salaam, Ambassador Jenkins also visited the University of Dar es
Salaam where she engaged a group of professors in a lively discussion about US
and international threat reduction programmes and President Obama's vision of a
world free of nuclear weapons.
Ambassador Jenkins concluded her visit to the University of Dar es Salaam by
meeting with a group of women university students with whom she shared her
educational and professional experiences. She advised the students to be open
to new possibilities, telling them also that “the greatest rewards come from
meeting the biggest challenges."
A US government statement released by the Voice of America in Washington this
week said: “Safeguarding nuclear technology is a central element of
international peace and security. The United States is working to assist several
nations in Africa to develop the necessary legal and regulatory frameworks that
would allow for the safe and secure development of uranium resources, as well
as of the peaceful applications of nuclear technology.”
To this end, officials representing three US government agencies that oversee
nuclear security issues traveled to Dar es Salaam this month to meet with their
Tanzanian counterparts, it further said.
In the medium-term, Tanzania aims to export its valuable mineral to produce
nuclear power overseas.
The US government statement said Tanzanian officials said this initiative could
make uranium the nation's most dependable export after gold,. For the longer
term, Tanzania is contemplating civil nuclear power for its own domestic power
production. The country now relies on hydropower for its electricity, but
suffers regular power cuts due to problems with supply and maintenance.
“The benefits of uranium exports would be considerable for Tanzania, which,
though it has made strides in economic growth, still depends heavily on aid
from foreign donors,” it said.
The US-Tanzania uranium discussions mark an important beginning of efforts to
work more closely together on mutually held international security and
nonproliferation objectives, the statement concluded.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN