The survey included geological
mapping and collecting rock chip samples for lab tests from a 100 square km
area in the Himalayan region.
“We can confirm the presence
of uranium in the region but we cannot assess the quantity or the grade of the
deposit,” Sarabjeet Prasad Mahato, director general of the Department of
Geology and Mines, told Xinhua on Tuesday.
Mahato added that the
department will need additional time to come up with its final conclusion about
the quality of uranium as they are still in the exploration phase.
Uranium is a metallic chemical
element that is extremely energy dense, and is the only commercially available
fuel source for nuclear power plants. According to the World Nuclear
Association, nuclear energy is used to generate around 11 percent of the world’
s electricity.
“Nepal could contribute a
share of the uranium used in the peaceful nuclear industry worldwide,” Mahato
said, adding the energy scenario in the country could change over the next
decade.
From an economic viewpoint,
extracting uranium and assessing its quality is extremely costly. Experts said
that a country like Nepal would need support from the government and the
technological know-how from international agencies.
Nepal has geared up to survey
for uranium mines in its remote mountainous north more than two decades after
preliminary studies suggested the mineral is present in 25 locations across the
country.
It took long to get the
project rolling as Nepal lacked a testing laboratory as well as skilled
manpower to inspect the country in search of the radio-active mineral.
“The International Atomic
Energy Agency is supporting Nepal since 2008 and we have recently been able to
start setting up a nuclear research center at Tribhuvan University,” Dr. Binil
Aryal, head of the Department of Physics at Tribhuvan University, said in an
interview with Xinhua on Tuesday.
According to Aryal, uranium
has become a political issue in Nepal with the government still very cautious
about its extraction and commercialization.
“Limited research has been
carried out in several Himalayan ranges not only because of lack of
infrastructures but also due to the government secrecy regarding uranium
deposits in our country. Every political party seems highly sensitive about
this issue,” Aryal said.
The discovery of uranium in
Tinbhangale of Makwanpur district in Nepal, for example, has been a source of
controversy for residents who migrated to the area since the mid-60s. Although
the link between exposure to uranium and higher incidents of cancer and other
diseases in the region has not been proved yet, the experts said there is a
connection.
Nepal currently has no nuclear
plants where uranium could be used.
Source : Xinhua
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