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Mexico to study potential of radioactive minerals

Bnamericas
Mexico to study potential of radioactive minerals

Mexico will allocate nearly 45mn pesos (US$2.7mn) to geological exploration in 10 areas in four northern states this year and next with the aim of identifying deposits of radioactive minerals that could serve the electric power industry.

Geological service SGM will be in charge of the project known as a PPI, which will be financed with its own resources. Some 21.8mn pesos will be spent on five studies during 2024 and another 23mn pesos on five studies next year, according to the finance ministry's investment portfolio.

According to the description of the PPI, the intention is to “conduct regional, semi-detailed and detailed geological research studies for radioactive and associated minerals in northern Mexico, carrying out activities in 10 areas of interest: four on a regional scale, four in semi-detail and two in detail in locations in the states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango and Sonora.”

It added: "Through this PPI we will contribute to solving the problem derived from the lack of information and location of deposits of radioactive minerals, which can provide raw materials for the national electric power industry." 

SGM specified in a technical data sheet that four regional studies correspond to areas that were not addressed in previous PPIs, two are semi-detailed studies based on regional studies from 2022-23, and two are detailed studies that correspond to past PPIs in which a resource category update and other information were not completed.

In Mexico, deposits of uranium, thorium and other radioactive minerals are nationalized, so they can only be mined by the State. A radioactive mineral contains uranium, thorium or combinations of both in a concentration equal to or greater than 300 parts per million. These minerals are essential for generating nuclear energy.

One priority of SGM's 2020-24 institutional program is to promote the exploration and evaluation of radioactive mineral deposits and coal to increase supplies for the electric power industry.

SGM said that, based on the results of the first exploration and evaluation program for radioactive minerals in 2022 and 2023, “two localities were defined for radioactive and associated minerals to be studied geologically on a semi-detailed scale during the period 2024-25. Therefore, in the case of the study, they are complementary dependent investments.”

The finance ministry previously approved 30.6mn pesos for SGM to carry out exploration and evaluation of radioactive mineral deposits in 18 locations, less than half of the 70.9mn pesos requested, according to local press reports.

SGM claimed that knowledge of radioactive minerals was generated with the methods and technology implemented from the 1950s onwards. Additionally, exploration was suspended for 26 years and resumed in 2009.

“This caused the estimated resources of these elements to be no longer valid and the reserves initially declared are not supported by international standards,” SGM said.

“According to the inventory of radioactive mineral locations in Mexico, the projects require further exploration to define economically viable deposits that in the future can contribute to reducing fuel imports for nuclear plants and other clinical uses,” it added.

Raúl García Reimbert, president of the college of mining engineers, metallurgists and geologists (CIMMGM), told BNamericas that although minerals such as lithium and uranium are not considered critical today, "if we are talking about the future, we should talk about those that are going to be critical and we need to have an exploration and production policy for the next five, 10 years."

In his opinion, in the case of Mexico, cobalt, as well as chromium and rare earths, should be included in some exploration program, in addition to lithium and uranium. Copper, zinc and silver should be considered critical, because Mexico is well positioned as a global producer of these metals, he said.

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