Central region has 37,000 tonnes of yellowcake — expert

AMMAN — Jordan has a reserve of around 37,000 tonnes of yellowcake in the central region, Marat Abzalov, an international uranium expert and consultant to the Jordan Uranium Mining Company, said Monday.

Abzalov made the remarks at a meeting with Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour to acquaint him with developments in the country’s uranium projects.

He expected the amount to increase by between 17,000 and 21,000 tonnes when adding discoveries in the rest of the central region, where exploration teams will be working during the next year, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Yellowcake is the solid form of mixed uranium oxide, which is produced from uranium ore in the uranium recovery (milling) process, according to the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission website.

The material is a mixture of uranium oxides that can vary in proportion and colour from yellow to orange to dark green depending on the temperature at which the material is dried (which affects the level of hydration and impurities), with higher drying temperatures producing a darker and less soluble material, according to the website.

The 37,000 tonnes of yellowcake explored so far are enough to operate a 1,000-megawatt nuclear energy station for 200 years, Petra said.