Challenges

Mining uranium comes with a unique challenge: radiation. Uranium metal, concentrates, and by-products—especially radioactive radon gas—all pose a special set of risks and hazards.

It follows that safety, environmental, and social requirements are particularly rigorous where uranium is concerned. The highest standards must be maintained, even when budgets are tight.

Extracting high-grade deposits of uranium comes with technical challenges, too: groundwater, rock properties, and the need for proper radiation protection. To address these concerns, producers need innovative ground-freezing techniques and mechanized, non-entry underground-mining methods.

For lower-grade deposits that may rely on open-pit and underground mining methods, the search continues for more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible processes.

The uranium mining industry has had a history of escalating cost-and-schedule overruns. To keep the lid on time and money, proper planning is essential—and this is the very step that's often compromised during the study phase when resources are tight. Economy here can often lead to difficult and expensive challenges later during the project implementation phase, negating any savings that might have been gained on the front end.