Date: c. 2000
Brazil is known to have about 309,000 tons of uranium oxide (U3O8), the salt known commonly as Yellow Cake, in geological reserves. This is the sixth largest stock in the world. Geological surveys in the 1970s-80s discovered these natural deposits, prompting Brazilian efforts to refine its domestic uranium -a goal finally accomplished when the Resende plant opened in 2006. The only active uranium mine at present is the Lagoa Real mine in Bahia state, an open pit mine estimated to contain over 100,000 tons of uranium ore. It was discovered by aerial surveys in 1976-77 that used gamma-ray spectrometry to identify potential uranium deposits. Only about 50% of Brazil, the fifth largest country in the world, has yet to be explored for uranium deposits and, some experts speculate that over 500,000 more tons of U3O8 remain undiscovered. With Brazil's capacity to refine its own ore, this vast energy supply will serve all of the country's domestic nuclear energy facilities as well as supply surplus to be exported for a handsome profit.
DIGITAL ID: 12499
