eng.monash.edu.au/enveng Dr Gavin M Mudd Environmental Engineering Sustainability Aspects of Uranium Mining February 2007

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 2 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Hiroshima, 6 Aug Bowker, 1948 The Eternal Nuclear Debate …

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 3 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Uranium Mining Re-invigoration of the nuclear debate has seen spirited exchanges over the life cycle assessments of nuclear energy versus other energy systemsRe-invigoration of the nuclear debate has seen spirited exchanges over the life cycle assessments of nuclear energy versus other energy systems A central aim of these studies is to quantify the unit CO 2 emissions for nuclear vs othersA central aim of these studies is to quantify the unit CO 2 emissions for nuclear vs others Although it is generally accepted that as ore grade declines, emissions will increase – there are numerous aspects to this, eg. :Although it is generally accepted that as ore grade declines, emissions will increase – there are numerous aspects to this, eg. : –resources, ore grade & type, energy/water costs etc.

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 4 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Outline From Here : Data Sources and MethodologyData Sources and Methodology Analysis of Sustainability MetricsAnalysis of Sustainability Metrics Results – Global Uranium ProductionResults – Global Uranium Production Results – Global Uranium ResourcesResults – Global Uranium Resources Results – Energy & Water ConsumptionResults – Energy & Water Consumption Results – Greenhouse EmissionsResults – Greenhouse Emissions Discussion : Deficiencies, Future Work …Discussion : Deficiencies, Future Work … SummarySummary

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 5 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Data Sources & Methodology Surprisingly, data is readily available for production for many countries, eg. :Surprisingly, data is readily available for production for many countries, eg. : –mining periodicals (CNRC, USBM, OECD-IAEA, …) –papers, company annual and technical reports, etc Resources data compiled (mostly) from company annual and technical reportsResources data compiled (mostly) from company annual and technical reports Energy-Water-CO 2 data is sourced from company social/environmental/ sustainability reportsEnergy-Water-CO 2 data is sourced from company social/environmental/ sustainability reports Sust. data is converted to unit efficiencySust. data is converted to unit efficiency

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 6 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Analysis of Sustainability Metrics Some key issues for sustainability include energy and water consumption and greenhouse emissionsSome key issues for sustainability include energy and water consumption and greenhouse emissions The ‘eco-efficiency’ of various uranium mines is compared using the unit consumption (/emission) per uranium oxide produced relative to ore grade :The ‘eco-efficiency’ of various uranium mines is compared using the unit consumption (/emission) per uranium oxide produced relative to ore grade : –kL water / t U 3 O 8 ; t CO 2 / t U 3 O 8 –GJ energy / t U 3 O 8

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 7 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Uranium Ore Grade by Country

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 8 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Global Uranium Production Trends

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 9 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Uranium Resources v Time

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 10 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Uranium Deposits : Size, Grade <0.5% U 3 O 8

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 11 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Energy & Water v Ore Grade

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 12 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Greenhouse Emissions

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 13 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Discussion & Future Work Uranium Resources – Finite or Not ?Uranium Resources – Finite or Not ? –clear evidence that exploration over time has continued to sustain economic resources –ore grades by country are mostly declining –despite rich Canadian ores, global average ore grade has not increased –future production will come from lower grade ores Sustainability MetricsSustainability Metrics –unit energy/water/CO 2 have been quantified, showing clear sensitivity to ore grade –however, still need to do complete I/O LCA …

2 nd Int Conf on Sustainability Eng/Sci : Sustainability Metrics of Uranium Mining / 14 Institute for Sustainable Water Resources Summary & Conclusions Key issues underpinning the contested sustainability of nuclear power, centred on various aspects of uranium miningKey issues underpinning the contested sustainability of nuclear power, centred on various aspects of uranium mining Over time, resources have been maintained but grades are mostly declingOver time, resources have been maintained but grades are mostly decling Sustainability metrics such as energy, water & CO 2 are sensitive to ore grade, and resource intensity increases as grade declinesSustainability metrics such as energy, water & CO 2 are sensitive to ore grade, and resource intensity increases as grade declines More work needed to do complete LCA …More work needed to do complete LCA …