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Uranium exploration, mining and
cooperation with local
communities in Mongolia
Ms.Munkjargal Tserendorj
IAEA
Vienna, Austria
09.12.2015
MONATOM
State Owned Company
Content:
MONATOM
State Owned Company
Historical Review of Uranium in Mongolia
Company Profile
Current state of uranium mining projects;
“Social reaction” towards uranium mining
Legal environment
Cooperation with local communities
Conclusion
HISTORICAL REVIEW
MONATOM
State Owned Company
Uranium exploration in Mongolia started in the middle
of 1940s. Between 1970 and 1990, under a bilateral
agreement between the People’s Republic of Mongolia
and the Soviet Union, specialized geological surveys
were conducted by the Geological Reconnaissance
Expedition of the Soviet Ministry of Geology.
Soviet Union geologists worked on uranium mining in
Dornod and Mardai deposits. Gurvanbulag deposit
were ready to mine in that period, however, as the
external condition were stopped.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
Known Recoverable Resources of Uranium 2013
Countries Tonnes U Percentage of the world
Australia 1,706,100 29%
Kazakhstan 679,300 12%
Russia 505,900 9%
Canada 493,900 8%
Niger 404,900 7%
Namibia 382,800 6%
South Africa 338,100 6%
Brazil 276,100 5%
USA 207,400 4%
China 199,100 4%
Mongolia 141,500 2%
World total 5,902,900
Source: http://www.world-
nuclear.org/info/nuclear-fuel-cycle/mining-of-
uranium/world-uranium-mining-production/
MILLING “MonAtom” State-owned Company was established in 2009.
EXPLORATION PROSPECTION
MONATOM
State Owned Company
COMPANY PROFILE
Main objective:
Prospecting uranium and other radioactive minerals,
Identify uranium estimated resource, and perform high
standard survey on the territory of Mongolia in
accordance with Minerals law, Nuclear Energy law of
Mongolia and increase its reserve,
Participate independently or collaborate with other legal
body on exploration and exploitation activities of
uranium, and provide database on uranium studies.
MINING
MONATOM
State Owned Company
SCOPE OF ACTIVITIES OF MONATOM
Geological survey, define reserves, increasing reserve, exploitation of
Uranium and other radioactive mineral resources in the territory of Mongolia;
Exploitation of uranium and radioactive minerals moreover set up its
enrichment industrial technique, elaborate its economic feasibility study, and
start supervising its industrial activity step by step;
Export uranium and other radioactive products in accordance with
international convention, agreements, and Mongolian laws and regulations for
the use of peaceful purpose;
Secure control of minimum recognized dose possible for environment
negative impacts from uranium production, mining barrage security, with
highly achieved restoration of environment and develop responsible mining:
MONATOM
State Owned Company
RECENTLY IMPLEMENTING PROJECTS
State-owned “Mon-Atom” company is working to collaborate with domestic and international investors
on projects such as prospecting, extracting, and processing of uranium and other radioactive minerals
in accordance with related law, regulations and implement State attendance,
“Dulaanuul”, “Zuuvch ovoo” projects – “AREVA” group's
invested “Cogegobi” LLC has done prospecting of
Uranium.
“Kharaat”,”Khairkhan”, “Gurvansaikhan” and ”Ulziit”
projects – accurate geological studies and technology
experiments has done.
Dornod deposit is located in Dashbalbar soum.
The Mineral Resources Commission, former Soviet
Union, approved and recorded 16467.0 thousand
tons of ore and 28868.0 tons of uranium reserves
at 0.154% grade on С1+С2 category.
Gurvanbulag deposit is located in Bayandun soum.
Emeelt Mines LLC holds the exploration license.
8580.3 tons of uranium reserves at about 0.162%
grade in the major orebody on B+C category were
approved by the Minerals Expert Council.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
MONATOM
State Owned Company
Nemer deposit is located 730 km northeast of
Ulaanbaatar. In 1988 the Mineral Resources
Commission, former Soviet Union, approved 2528.0
tons of uranium estimated reserves at about 0.146%
grade on С2 category.
Mardai deposit is located 6 km northwest of
Dornod deposit. Adamas Mining LLC holds the
exploration license. It has 1104.0 tons of uranium
reserves classified С1+С2 with the 0.160%
concentration grade.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
Ulaan Polymetallic deposit is located in
Dashbalbar soum. Xin Xin LLC holds the
exploration license. 270.0 tons of uranium
reserves were approved at 0.145% grade on
С1+С2.
Dulaan Uul deposit is located in Sainshand town,
Ulaanbadrakh soum. Coge Gobi LLC owns the
exploration license. 6259.87 tons of uranium
reserves were approved by the Minerals Expert
Council.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
Zuuvch Ovoo deposit is ocated in Sainshand
town, Ulaanbadrakh soum. 54639.9 tons of
uranium reserves on В+С category were
approved by the Minerals Expert Council.
Khairkhan deposit is located in Ulziit soum.
Gurvansaikhan LLC holds the exploration license.
8406.0 tons of uranium reserves at 0.071% grade
on В+С category were approved by the Minerals
Expert Council.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
Kharaat deposit is located in Dundgobi aimag.
Coge Gobi LLC holds the exploration license. and
7288.0 tons of uranium reserves at 0.026% grade
on В+С category were approved by the Minerals
Expert Council.
Gurvansaikhan deposit is located in Ulziit soum.
Gurvansaikhan” LLC holds the exploration license.
4250.1 tons of uranium reserves were approved by
the Minerals Expert Council. The Situ Leaching (ISL)
Technology is appropriate for mining the deposit.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
Ulziit deposit is located in Sukhbaatar aimag.
Gurvansaikhan” LLC holds the exploration license.
7843.9 thousand tons of ore and 3075.7 tons of
uranium reserves at 0.036 % on C category 2611.8
tons out of which are available for ISL Technology.
Narst deposit is located in Dornogobi aimag
(Urgun Soum). 1000 tons of uranium reserves
at 0.040 % on P1 category.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
SOCIAL REACTION TOWARDS URANIUM MINING
MONATOM
State Owned Company
LEGAL ENVIRONMENT FOR URANIUM
MINING IN MONGOLIA
State Policy on Radioactive Minerals and Nuclear
Energy
Nuclear Energy Law
Law on Regulating Nuclear Energy Law
Law of Mongolia on its nuclear weapon free status
Minerals Law
Law on prohibition of importing, transit and export
of hazardous waste
Tax law
Investment Law
Law on licensing of business activities
Subsoil law
Company Law
Law of Mongolia on water
MONATOM
State Owned Company
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY PROGRAMMES
AREVA’s aim is to achieve profitable growth in a socially and
environmentally responsible manner.
Focus areas:
• Community support and open dialogue with local people;
• Environmental protection;
• Health safety & security and radiation protection;
AREVA MONGOL - PROJECTS
MONATOM
State Owned Company
2015 Jun: Dulaan-Uul, Zuuvch Ovoo and Umnut deposits obtained
Exploitation license;
2013 Nov: Mitsubishi Corp. acquires 34% equity interest in AREVA Mongol;
Oct: AREVA Mongol & Mon-Atom signed a shareholder
agreement;
Feb: Registration of Zuuvch ovoo resources estimated at
54.390 metric tons;
2011 Aug: Registration of Dulaan Uul resources estimated at 6.270
metric tons;
Jun: Successful in Situ Recovery test at Dulaan Uul site;
2010: Discovery of low-grade high tonnage Zuuvch Ovoo deposit;
2009: Cooperation agreement with Mongolia’s NEA
2007: Discovery of Dulaan Uul deposit;
2006: Cooperation agreement with Mongolian Ministry of Industry & Trade
2002: Launch of drilling activities in the Gobi desert
1997: Preliminary geological reconnaissance in the Gobi.
AREVA has introduced its projects in
Mongolia since 1997, via its subsidiaries
COGEGOBI and AREVA Mongolia
MONATOM
State Owned Company
COGEGOBI holds 22 exploration licenses covering a total of
more than 6,000 km2 in the vast sedimentary basin of the
Dornogobi and Sukhbaatar Provinces and 3 exploitation
licenses at Zuuvch Ovoo, Dulaan Uul and Umnut deposits:
9 licenses in the Sainshand basin;
13 licenses in the Dariganga and Erdenetsagan regions;
120 employees:
Mon-Atom and AREVA Mongolia companies are working on the establishment of joint-venture
company, 34% - share was owned by Mon-Atom.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
OPEN DIALOGUE AND COMMUNITY
SUPPORT FOR LOCAL PEOPLE
Objectives:
• Conducted stakeholder mapping in
Dornogobi aimag to determine the
expectations of its key stakeholders
and engage with them on the
requested issues.
Methods of engagement
National authorities Meetings, seminars
Local authorities Local Cooperation Council Regular
coordination meetings
Local communities and
herders
Local Cooperation Council
Families visits
Biennial community survey
Workshops
Local events
Mongolian Scientific
community
Scientific seminars on ISR, Uranium and
Nuclear Technology
General public External newsletter, press articles, TV
programs, seminars and websites
Civil Society
Organizations
Meetings
Since 2006, AREVA Mongol and
COGEGOBI have spent about 651.000
USD for local development projects.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR
EDUCATION
COGEGOBI has regularly supported it since 2005. By
2011, the school had become one of the best
establishments in Mongolia. A special support was
given to support to furnish the new boarding
quarters in the school of the Ulaanbadrakh Sum and
scholarships to outstanding local students.
The renovation of Zuunbayan inter-soum school’s playground
was entirely funded by AREVA Mongol in 2013. And in 2014,
a 3 years MoU was signed with Zuunbayan cultural center to
fund the complete renovation of its building over 3 years of
time.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
MONATOM
State Owned Company
On November 2014, AREVA and the “Actions
Mongolie” association donated to the hospital of
Dornogovi aimag a full laparoscopic unit and a new
set of equipment for the ophthalmological diagnostics
room.
As a result, Dornogovi has the distinction of being the
first among all aimags to be able to administer
professional laparoscopic surgery.
COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR HEALTH
MONATOM
State Owned Company
COMMUNITY SUPPORT FOR
HERDERS
Emergency relief assistance can also be provided in the case of
natural disasters and extreme weather events, frequent in
Mongolia.
Livestock reconstitution AREVA Mongol and COGEGOBI have
implemented livestock reconstitution program since 2007.
Zuunbayan bag has over 450 families in total out of which 55
are herding families with over 12.1 thousand heads of
livestock.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
In 2014, eight herders living in the vicinity of Areva
exploration sites visited in KATCO. They learned how drillings
and ISR technology are used with respect to environment and
the development of actions towards communities.
In 2015, AREVA Mongol purchased meat and milk for
consumption from local herder families.
185 sheep and 19 cows in total were
purchased from 23 herder families
of Ulaanbadrakh sum and
Zuunbayan bag of Sainshand sum.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
AREVA Mongol supports local cultural events, and
Mongolian traditional sports such as knucklebones
shooting and national wrestling.
Supporting herders to improve the health of their
livestock.
AREVA Mongol has initiated the project to control
animal health issues in the area of mining operation.
It includes a Veterinary Intervention Unit (with one
expatriate and two Mongolian veterinarians)
providing a complimentary direct veterinary
assistance to local herders
MONATOM
State Owned Company
Approximately 50 people from Dornogobi
and Sukhbaatar aimags were employed by
COGEGOBI in 2014.
National Drilling Companies are strongly
encouraged to participate for their
explorations.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Environmental issues are subject to monitoring at the very highest management level
and the goals are to:
Culture
• share environmental policy and related operating targets across all sites;
• mobilize employees on major environmental challenges as well as raise awareness and promote
good practices;
• comply with regulatory requirements. This is a prerequisite in the countries in which AREVA
operates and, where possible, the group goes further than the regulations in force.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
For each exploration license, AREVA puts in place
an Environmental Monitoring Program to keep
track of the climatic and human impacts on the
area where exploration is being done. Each
program is reviewed and approved by the
Mongolian government. So far, exploration
activities have had no impact requiring corrective
actions.
Environmental
Monitoring
Fauna
Flora
Soil
Water
Air
MONATOM
State Owned Company
SAXAUL RECULTIVATION PROJECT
The Saxaul is a desert tree which plays a significant role
against desertification. Through its deep rooting system it
stabilizes the desert soil. It is also one of the only sources of
feed for desert cattle during winter. In order to preserve the
biodiversity of Gobi desert, AREVA Mongol launched a
program to prepare saxaul seedlings and replant them with
the involvement of local communities. 5 families were trained
on the preparation of saxaul tube seedlings. AREVA Mongol
bought the seedlings from the sum residents and planted
1,500 saxaul seedlings around the mudpit that used to store
exploration drilling mud and 450 seedlings on the Dulaan Uul
camp.
MONATOM
State Owned Company
CONCLUSION
Government of Mongolia is putting more emphasis on the uranium and other
mining sectors for the economic development of Mongolia.
Uranium mining is completely new field for the country.
Although, importance of the mining industry is becoming bigger and bigger, there
are still a big challenge to gain a community trust. One of the best example for
this is that uranium industry. There are lack of knowledge, technology and human
resources etc…
After Fukushima accident has significantly changed public attitudes toward nuclear
energy and uranium mining in Mongolia, eventually, public acceptance is becoming
more positive direction on the uranium mining development.
Thank you for your attention!
Contact information
Munkhjargal Tserendorj
MonAtom LLC
Investment & Cooperation Divison
http://www/monatom.gov.mn
E mail: [email protected]. mn
Tel: 976-99104518
