The Radiation Safety Authority (STUK) in Finland has granted Terrafame Oy, which operates mining in Sotkamo, permission to extract uranium. The company will investigate chemical processes it would use in the actual uranium extraction plant. The license is valid from 13 December to 30 June 2018.
The company is allowed to extract uranium in a process solution that amounts to a total of about 600 liters. This solution may contain no more than six kilograms of uranium. The uranium solution produced by Terrafame may hold the company in appropriate areas until the end of June 2023. According to STUK's assessment, the test activities that Terrafame is planning to ensure safe with regard to both the staff and the environment.
STUK notes that the operations meet the requirements for uranium sample production in accordance with the Radiation and Nuclear Energy Act. STUK set conditions for the amount of uranium produced, the time spent for testing and storage time for the uranium product. Before the trial operation, Terrafame will also complete the information related to radiation protection arrangements and security arrangements that the company has delivered to STUK.
For more extensive commercial uranium production, Terrafame needs another license, granted by the Government. To this end, the company submitted an application to the Ministry of Employment and the Economy on 31 October and the processing is not yet ready. STUK makes a security assessment of the application.
Source: STUK
