The federal government resumed uranium mining production at the Nuclear Industries Unit of Brazil (INB), in Caetité, Bahia.
At the Uranium Mining Concentration Unit (URA) in Bahia, the first two activities of the nuclear fuel cycle are carried out: mining and ore processing. The result will be Uranium Concentrate, also known as yellowcake (U3O8).
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Resumption of uranium mining in Bahia
According to the minister, analyzes by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of the United Nations and the International Energy Agency indicate a significant participation of the nuclear source for the next 30 years to meet the demands of basic and large-scale energy generation for the energy transition. to decarbonize the economy.
Uranium mining will resume in the city of Caetité, in southwest Bahia, after five years of inactivity. The authorization to exploit the material was made official at a ceremony attended by the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, and other authorities.
The importance of uranium mining in Brazil
The mineral extracted in Caetité serves as fuel for the nuclear power plants in Angra dos Reis and will be sent for enrichment at the Nuclear Industries of Brazil (INB) unit in Resende, in Rio de Janeiro. Mining will take place at the Engenho Mine.
The works will be carried out by INB, which affirmed the proposal to make Brazil self-sufficient as an exporter of uranium concentrate. According to the company's advisory, the goal is to reach 260 tons of uranium in Brazil in 2022.
“After five years we restructured everything to be based on a new bias, it was decided to open a new mine inside the Caetité mine and also move forward with the Santa Quitéria Project. Today, given this perspective of the Government, the Santa Quitéria project is fundamental”, stresses Tomás Figueiredo.
