On July 12, the "Guoyou No. 1" demonstration project located in Ordos City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, successfully produced the first drum of uranium product. The "Guoyou No. 1" demonstration project is China's largest capacity, highest construction standard, and most advanced natural uranium production base in terms of technology. The project was started on July 12, 2024, and produced products within a year, setting a new speed record for the construction of domestic natural uranium production projects.
Natural uranium is an important strategic resource and energy mineral. Uranium resource exploration and mining are at the forefront of the nuclear fuel cycle system, serving as an essential material basis for the development of the nuclear industry. As the largest natural uranium production project in the 70-year history of China's nuclear geology and mineral resources development, the successful production of the first drum of uranium marks that China's uranium resource development has entered a new stage of green safety and intelligent efficiency. Upon completion, it will provide a solid resource guarantee for national energy security and the development of the nuclear industry, while also significantly enhancing the international competitiveness of China's natural uranium industry.
"The 'Guoyou No. 1' demonstration project is a major practical achievement of China's third-generation uranium mining and processing technology system. It has built modern uranium mine production elements centered on 'green environmental protection, remote control, intelligent analysis, high quality and efficiency', successfully creating a benchmark for the next generation of smart mines. Through the digitalization and intelligent analysis of the entire mining process, it has achieved predictable and controllable uranium mining," said Yuan Xu, Secretary and Chairman of China Uranium Co., Ltd.
Previously, China's uranium development mainly focused on volcanic rock-type and granite-type uranium deposits in the south. In the past 20 years, significant breakthroughs have been made in the exploration of sandstone-type uranium deposits in the north, leading to a large-scale migration of the "China Uranium Capital" from south to north. In particular, in 2023, China released ten major uranium exploration achievements, predicting over 2.8 million tons of uranium resources, with the main uranium resources concentrated in the northern sandstone-type uranium deposits, among which the Ordos Basin has become China's largest uranium resource base.
Currently, China has the world's largest total scale of operating and under-construction nuclear power units. The "Guoyou No. 1" technology will be fully applied and acceleratedly promoted to uranium resource development in northern basins such as Songliao, Erlian, Ordos, and Yili, supporting the establishment of a number of new large uranium mines, comprehensively ensuring the demand for uranium resources for the development of nuclear energy.
(Source: People's Daily Client)
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