New IAEA Uranium Initiative Used For First Time In Brazil
Written by NucNet
Thursday, 11 February 2010
A new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) service for the promotion of best practices and safety in the uranium production cycle has been used for the first time at a site in Brazil.
The IAEA’s Uranium Production Site Appraisal Team (UPSAT) reviewed Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil’s uranium production site at Caetité, in the state of Bahia, Brazil, in a two-week visit that was completed on 5 February 2010.
INB had asked the IAEA to visit the Caetité plant to evaluate its performance.
The UPSAT team concluded that operations at Caetité are run in “a clean and efficient manner” with no evidence of adverse environmental impact outside the mining licence area.
The team also made recommendations to improve the overall performance of operations, including studying the possible environmental impact on groundwater of the disposal of mining residues and waste.
INB said the mission was a success and other uranium mining companies should “seriously consider” requesting UPSAT missions to review their operations.
INB, which is part of Brazil’s Ministry of Science and Technology, is responsible for all activities related to the nuclear fuel cycle in Brazil, from uranium ore mining and milling to enrichment and the final production of fuel assemblies to be used in nuclear power plants.
The IAEA said UPSAT had been launched in response to the increase in worldwide uranium production activity in recent years.
For more information about the UPSAT initiative, see the IAEA’s website
