La región de Macusani se está volviendo más activa. Se están produciendo más descubrimientos, más yacimientos probados y más actividad en el área y este mes el equipo directivo de Fission estará visitando el Perú como parte del plan de la compañía para desarrollar su propiedad de Macusani. El equipo estará conformado por Dev Randhawa Presidente Ejecutivo(CEO), Ross McElroy Director Ejecutivo de Operaciones (COO) y yo.
Si usted no está familiarizado con nuestra propiedad en el Perú, le recomendamos que visite la página web del proyecto Macusani para obtener información general, mapas y fotos.
Fission es titular de los derechos de 9 bloques de denuncios que comprenden un área de 51 km², y derechos de superficie sobre algunas de las áreas con mineralización conocida de uranio. Dentro del área, la estratigrafía está dominada por la Formación Quenamari sub-horizontal del Plioceno, que está compuesta principalmente de capas de ignimbrita. Las anomalías del uranio se presentan en altiplanos que están compuestos del miembro Yapamayo superior de la Formación Quenamari.
El muestreo efectuado hasta la fecha ha demostrado que las anomalías más significativas de uranio parecen estar restringidas a este grupo. La mineralización dentro del área está dominada por vetas de autinita de muy alta ley a lo largo de 'planos de fallas enriquecidas', con mineralización menos diseminada. Los planos de fallas significativas pueden variar de _ a 2 m de espesor, aunque los planos múltiples de fallas enriquecidas ocurren en las zonas de cizallamiento hasta 150 m a través de ésta. La autinita contiene 51% de uranio por peso y se convierte a 60% - 65% U3O8.
Australia y Rusia ratificaron un acuerdo de cooperación nuclear por el que el primero podrá vender uranio al segundo, informó la radio ABC.
La primera ministra australiana, Julia Gillard, y el presidente ruso, Dmitri Medvédev, rubricaron el documento durante una reunión previa a la Cumbre del G20 en Corea del Sur. El pacto actualiza el firmado en 1990 y por el que Australia vende uranio a Rusia, donde el mineral es procesado y enriquecido para luego ser utilizado por terceros países.
A partir de ahora, Moscú podrá utilizar el uranio australiano para su propia industria de energía nuclear, algo a lo que Canberra dio su visto bueno en 2007 pero que estaba pendiente de recibir la luz verde del Parlamento. El acuerdo, aseguró Gillard, cumple todas las salvaguardas de Australia, Rusia y el Organismo Internacional de la Energía Atómica.
Australia, el mayor productor mundial de uranio y que dispone del 40 por ciento de las reservas del planeta, exporta más de 10.000 toneladas anuales.
Canberra también decidió en 2007 vender el mineral a China, pues el gigante asiático necesita nuevas fuentes energéticas. Ese mismo año, el Comité de Seguridad Nacional de Australiarechazó exportar uranio a la India porque Nueva Delhi no ha suscrito el Tratado de No Proliferación nuclear.
La junior canadiense espera en junio comenzar exploraciones en sus nueve concesiones.
Dev Randhawa, CEO de Fission Energy, informó que están trabajando con las comunidades (Carolina Urrra)
V. TAKESHICHACÓNPICHÓN vchacon@diariogestion.com.pe
Después de cinco años, la minera junior canadiense Fission Energy Corp. anunció su retorno al Perú.
Bajo este contexto, la propietaria de nueve concesiones en el distrito de Macusani (Puno) proyecta invertir entre US$ 1 millón y US$ 2 millones en actividades exploratorias. La fecha de arranque de este programa minero estaría orientado hacia junio o julio de este año.
Para ello, Dev Randhawa, CEO de la empresa, arribó al país junto con Ross McElroy, presidente & COO, y otros ejecutivos.
“Estamos trabajando con las comunidades para lograr el acuerdo de servidumbre.Primero debemos cerrar esta etapa para luego presentar las solicitudes al Ministerio de Energía y Minas del Perú”, declaró DevRandhawa.
Actualmente Fission Energy logró la licencia de parte de la comunidad Corani-Aconsaya, lugar donde poseen cuatro concesiones.
Asimismo, la junior canadiense espera definir en esta visita la consultora que se encargará de desarrollar el respectivo estudio de impacto ambiental (EIA) de su proyecto Macusani.
Futuro del proyecto Y si bien, la matriz de las mineras Peruran y FissionEnergy Perú no cuenta con resultados actuales de su proyecto Macusani, los funcionarios indicaron a Gestión que la etapa de evaluación tomaría entre dos y tres meses.
“En setiembre u octubre ya deberíamos conocer la ley del uranio que existe en nuestra propiedad”, explicó el COO. Transcurrida esta etapa y dependiendo de los resultados, FissionEnergy decidirá el futuro del proyecto.
Entre las opciones están la venta del proyecto, o suscribir un jointventure con otra compañía para llevar el proyecto minero de uranio a la etapa de explotación.
“Nosotros somos junior y nuestro principal negocio está en la exploración. Por ello, no descartamos adquirir más concesiones en Puno. Sin embargo, nuestra meta está en conocer primero el nivel de uranio que ofrece Macusani”, puntualizó DevRandhawa.
EN CORTO Ingreso a la BVL. FissionEnergy Corp. planea listar en la Bolsa de Valores de Lima (BVL). Su ingreso dependerá de la clasificación que la plaza canadiense (Toronto Stock Exchange – TSX) le otorgue. Es decir, si la mantiene como minera junior o la eleva a empresa minera. “Si continuamos como junior, ya buscaremos un sponsor peruano”, comentó DevRandhawa.
Technical data from RAM Resources Ltd. (formerly Contact Uranium Ltd.) in June 2009.
RAM Resources Ltd. completed over 10,000 m of drilling in 193 diamond drill holes which covers the largest radiometric anomaly outlined by IPEN in the 1980s.
Macusani drilled 50 confirmation holes including 0.06% of U3O8 over 36 m and 0.05% of U3O8 over 49 m from some of the 87 previously unassayed RAM holes.
The Kihitian Project represents a high grade opportunity and is currently the focus of the Company's exploration programme.
Two drills are currently turning at the Chilcuno Chico anomaly.
To date the Company has completed 44 drill holes with the objective of extending the strike of both the A and B mineralized zones; drilling thus far has resulted in an increased strike length of 400 metres on the A zone and 700 metres on the B zone.
Exploration is being expanded to the Quebrada Blanca anomaly; a third drill rig has mobilized to commence drilling; a recently completed ground radiometric survey for this anomaly shows encouraging results.
Furher assay results are expected over the coming weeks.
Macusani Yellowcake Inc. is a Canadian uranium exploration and development company currently focussed on the exploration of its Kihitian Property on the Macusani Plateau in south-eastern Peru. The Company owns a 99.5% interest in concessions which cover over 50,000 hectares (500 km2) and are situated near significant infrastructure. Recent drilling carried out by the Company continues to demonstrate high-grade uranium intersections at Kihitian from which the Company plans to advance to a resource estimate by 2012. Macusani Yellowcake is listed on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol 'YEL' and the Frankfurt Exchange under the symbol 'QC1'.
Investment Highlights
Share cash value of $0.13 - sufficient to carry out exploration plan to the end of 2013
U3O8 Resources: 0.3 M lbs Measured, 10.1 M lbs Indicated, and 17.0 M lbs Inferred
Exploration target of 50-100 M lbs Uranium in 2012
Large, near surface pittable deposits; estimated cash cost of $22 /lb (PEA Apr 2010)
Resource friendly jurisdiction of Peru with superb infrastructure (roads, power, water, labour, etc.)
Q4 2011 - Kihitian: 3 drills currently turning; steady stream of further assays expected. NI 43-101 resource statement following drilling.
2012 - Kihitian: Drilling programme on shallow 'A' and deeper high grade 'B' zones. Expanded 43-101 encompassing multiple Kihitian deposits.
World Class Management Team
The board of directors and senior management team have a wealth of experience with uranium and working in South America. The Company is headquarted in Toronto with field offices in Peru.
Responsible Exploration Practices
Macusani Yellowcake is committed to balancing profitability with sustainable development practices. By working closely with the local community and Peru goverment officials, the Company is helping realize the potential of the Peru's vast mineral wealth in a sustainable way.
A senior mining executive with broad-based experience in production, engineering, reorganization and training, contracting, exploration and corporate affairs, Peter has a long track record in the mining industry in South Africa, Canada, Australia and Ghana. He has provided consulting engineering to projects in Canada, USA, Cuba, Columbia, Venezuela, Mexico, Chile, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Australia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and France.
Peter was the General Superintendent, Mine Manager, of Beaver Lodge Uranium Mine 1978 -1981, a mine that produced 4,000,000 lbs of uranium and belonged to Eldorado Nuclear, a government-owned agency which was later privatized and became Cameco Uranium, currently the largest producer of uranium in the world. During Peter's tenure the mine was modernized and mechanized. The digital equipment used world-wide to monitor uranium and radiation by-products was designed by the Canadian Government laboratories and tested at the mine during this period. As a consultant, Peter spent two years on a project exploring ways to handle and store the hot radiometric waste produced from Canada's Candu nuclear reactors.
Laurence Stefan is the founder of the Colibri Group of Companies in Peru and Managing Director of Minera Colibri. He has conducted metallurgical and mineralogical evaluation of over 200 mining and exploration projects throughout Central and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia and has compiled in excess of 1000 in-house reports: geological, mineralogical, mineral processing, engineering, mining activity, structural set-up, exploration strategies, resource/reserve evaluation and financial modelling.
He has deep operational experience in the fields of exploration, processing, pilot mining, legal evaluation, labor and social interaction in South America over the past twelve years. He has been involved in basic and specialised research in uranium metallurgical, recovery and enrichment programs at various gold-uranium mines along the Witwatersrand Basin in South Africa.
Philip Gibbs
Chief Financial Officer
Chartered Management Accountant
A Chartered Management Accountant with extensive financial management experience in large corporate environments in the manufacturing and retail sectors, both in North America and in Africa. Philip's multi-disciplinary exposure includes areas of Market Research, Logistics and IT Systems implementations, providing a broad base of business acumen suited to growing businesses.
3.- Sustainable Exploration & Development
Macusani Yellowcake is committed to balancing investor loyalty with responsible exploration and development practices.
Social Responsibility
The company aims at complying with the UN Global Impact and the ICMM (International Council on Mining and Metals) principles and policies. The company sees ethical behavior, integrity and adherence to Corporate Social Responsibility ('CSR') principles as a necessary condition and leverage to create value and develop sustainable business for all its stakeholders, shareholders, employees, business partners and the community at large.
Our core principles related to sustainable development include:
Accountability:
We integrate sustainable development considerations within our corporate governance practice and local decision making process
We implement a management system focused on continual improvement to review, prevent, mitigate or ameliorate adverse impact of our operations
We comply with the requirements of host-country laws and regulations
Transparency:
We provide information that is timely, accurate and relevant
We engage with and respond to stakeholders through open consultation processes
We demand transparency in all transactions with stakeholders
Stakeholder interest:
We have a constructive engagement with our stakeholders, we consult in the identification, assessment and management of all significant social, health, safety, environmental and economic impact associated with our activities and aim at finding win-win solutions
We inform potentially affected parties and authorities of significant risks from mining operations and of the measures that will be taken to manage the potential risks effectively
Sustainability:
We implement good practice and innovate to improve social, environmental and economic performance while enhancing shareholder value
We have Zero-tolerance for bribery and corruption
We seek to contribute to sustainable development within national development strategies
Environmental Stewardship
Macusani Yellowcake firmly believes that minimizing the environmental impacts of its activities and building cooperative working relationships with local communities is not only a good business practice, it is essential for the long-term operation of the company and ultimately a necessity to achieve the best possible outcome for shareholders.
The Company adheres to the E3 Environmental Excellence in Exploration guidelines, which was developed by the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada and is considered to be the guiding standard for environmental protection in the mineral exploration business.
Workplace Health and Safety
Macusani Yellowcake has been proactive in developing good practices related to a safe and healthy workplace for employees, contractors, subcontractors, and local populations. The company is committed to continuously looking for opportunites to minimize risks with the aim of preventing accidents and occupational related illnesses.
The company is exploring a major uranium concession in southeastern Peru
Concessions cover over 50,000 hectares (500 km2) in the Puno District
Excellent infrastructure: readily available supply of labour, water and power; transport (major highway runs through properties); plentiful supply of sulphuric acid
Exploration currently focused on several high-grade anomalies on the Kihitianproject
Key Exploration Targets
Target
Ownership
Summary
Kihitian
99.5%
Current exploration focus. Over 40 drill holes to date demonstrating continuous high-grade mineralization over a strike length of 700 m. Initial NI 43-101 report expected Q4 2011. Learn more
Corachapi
99.5%
Drilling to date includes 10,000m (193 holes) by previous owner and 50 confirmation holes; only 32% of strike drilled to date and open at depth. NI 43-101 completed Oct 2010.Learn more
Colibri 2 & 3
99.5%
123 diamond drill holes to date; 20% of strike length yet to be drilled and open at depth. Updated NI 43-101 completed Sep 2010. Preliminary Economic Assessment completed Jun 2010. Learn more
Mineral Resources
Location
The concession area is situated in the relatively flat Altiplano of the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes Mountain Range. Elevation ranges from 4334m to 4580m above sea level. The nearest towns to the project are Macusani and Corani.
The closest airport to the project area is Juliaca which is approximately 180km from the southern boundary of the concession. The Juliaca airport receives daily flights from Lima and Cusco. The Interoceanic Highway passes 11km to the east of the property. An untarred road, in good condition, connects the project area to the Interoceanic Highway.
Geology
During the Miocene Period (between 24 to 20 million years ago), several volcanic centres in the Macusani District in Puno, southeastern Peru, were active. The animation below illustrates the how the acidic lavas formed into uranium-rich rocks.
Local Geology
In the Macusani region, late Tertiary tuffs, ignimbrites and associated sediments are preserved in a NW-SE trending graben. Much of the Early Tertiary and Mesozoic cover were eroded prior to deposition of the pyroclastics so they were deposited in part directly on the Palaeozoic rocks including Late Palaeozoic intrusives (Hercynian granites) and extrusives (Mitu volcanics).
The geological plan of the area indicates that the concession is underlain by rocks of the Neogene Period, Quenamari Formation (dated between 22.5Ma to 1.8Ma). The youngest rocks (Pliocene Epoch) are known as the Yapamayo Member and these outcrop over the Colibri Project. The older Sapanuta and Cacacuniza Members (Miocene Epoch) underly the Yapamayo Member.
The known uranium occurrences in the Macusani area identified by the International Uranium Resources Evaluation Project (IUREP) are associated with Pliocene Quenamari Formation tuffs, ignimbrites and interbedded sediments in a NW_SE trending graben. Uranium in the form of pitchblende, uranophane, gummite and meta-autunite occurs predominantly in a fluvio-lacustrine sediment between two pyro-clastic units. The thickness of the sedimentary unit varies from less than 1m to over 5m.
Other uranium minerals are indicated by IUREP (1984) to be hosted in acidic volcanic rocks of rhyolite composition that cover large areas of the Macusani Plateau in horizontal formations from surface to a depth of about 100m but these appear to be lenticular or confined to fracture zones.
Project Geology
The deposits are hosted by acidic tuffs with pyroclasts of size 60mm to sub-macroscopic. The main minerals constituting the tuff are quartz, orthoclase and plagioclase in a groundmass of amorphous glass. A crude bedding was evident some outcrops based on strata containing larger and smaller pyroclasts as well as differential weathering. In both cases a flat dipping tuff is interpreted.
The primary commercial use for uranium is to fuel nuclear reactors for the generation of electricity. There are 436 reactors operating worldwide, and a total of 521 new reactors that are under construction, planned, or proposed for completion within the next 10 years. With increased demandfor electricity and a movement towards clean energy generation, the number of proposed and planned nuclear reactors has seen a two-fold increase over the last 4 years.
New Reactors by Country
With the emerging economies and resulting energy requirements of China, Russia, and India, it is not surprising that these three countries account for 274 (or 53%) of the 521 new reactors that are under construction, planned, or proposed.
Uranium Supply vs. Demand
In 2008 mines supplied 43,760 tonnes of uranium satisfying 68% of utilities' annual requirements. The balance of supply for utilities is currently made up of secondary sources including stockpiled uranium, but those civil stockpiles are now largely depleted. As illustrated by the chart below, there is a large anticipated gap between primary uranium production and the growing demands of the nuclear energy industry.
Uranium is not traded on an organized commodity exchange such as the London Metal Exchange. Instead buyers and sellers typically negotiate contracts and pricing privately. It is estimated that 80% to 85% of all uranium has been sold under long-term, multi-year contracts with deliveries starting 1 to 3 years after the contract is made. Long-term contract terms range from 2 to 10 years, but typically run 3 to 5 years, with the first delivery occurring within 24 months of contract award. They may also include a clause that allows the buyer to vary the size of each delivery within prescribed limits. For example, delivery quantities may vary from the prescribed annual volume by plus or minus 15%.
Uranium Spot Price
The remaining 15-20% of uranium that is bought and sold is largely based on the spot price. A spot market contract usually consists of just one delivery and is typically priced at or near the published spot market price at the time of purchase. Uranium price indicators accepted by the nuclear industry are published by independent market consultantsUx Consultingand TradeTech. The uranium spot price is typically more volatile than the long-term uranium price.
Uranium Futures
In 2007 the New York Mercantile Exchange announced a 10-year agreement to provide for the trade of on and off exchange uranium futures contracts. Uranium futures are traded under ticker symbol UX in U.S. dollars and cents per pound.
here are several key factors that are contributing to a renewed emphasis on nuclear energy:
Increasing Energy Demand
Relative to 1980, global population growth in combination with industrial development will lead to a near doubling of electricity consumption by 2030 (Source: World Energy Outlook, OECD/IEA, 2008). In addition to this growth, there will be a need to renew the current generating facilities in the Canada, USA and the EU over the same period. An increasing shortage of fresh water calls for energy-intensive desalination plants, and in the longer-term, if hydrogen production for transport purposes becomes feasible, it will likely require large amounts of electricity and/or high temperature heat.
Climate Change
Increased awareness of the dangers and effects of global warming and climate change has led decision makers, media and the public to realize that the use of fossil fuels must be reduced and replaced by low-emission sources of energy, such as nuclear power, the only readily available large-scale alternative to fossil fuels for production of continuous, reliable supply of electricity.
Economics
Increasing fossil fuel prices have greatly improved the economics of nuclear power for electricity now. Several studies show that nuclear energy is the most cost-effective of the available base-load technologies. In addition, as carbon emission reductions are encouraged through various forms of government incentives and emission trading schemes, the economic benefits of nuclear power will increase further.
Insurance Against Future Price Exposure
A longer-term advantage of uranium over fossil fuels is the low impact that increased fuel prices will have on the final electricity production costs, since a large proportion of those costs is in the capital cost of the plant. This insensitivity to fuel price fluctuations offers a way to stabilize power prices in deregulated markets.
Security of Supply
A re-emerging topic on many political agendas is security of supply, as countries realize how vulnerable they are to interrupted deliveries of oil and gas. The abundance of naturally occurring uranium and the large energy yield from each tonne of it makes nuclear power attractive from an energy security standpoint.
As the nuclear industry is moving away from small national programmes towards global cooperative schemes, serial production of new plants will drive construction costs down and further increase the competitiveness of nuclear energy.
Clean electricity from 'new renewables' - solar, wind, biomass and geothermal power - deserves strong support. But the collective capacity of these technologies to produce electricity in the decades ahead is limited. The International Energy Agencyprojects that, even with continued subsidy and research support, these new renewables can only provide around 6% of world electricity by 2030.
Environmentalists have played a valuable role in warning that catastrophic climate change is a real and imminent danger. It is crucially important that they be equally realistic about solutions. Even with maximum conservation - and a landscape covered by solar panels and windmills- we would still need large-scale source of around-the-clock electricity to meet much of our energy needs.
Nuclear power - like wind, hydro and solar energy - can generate electricity with minimal carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions. The critical difference is that nuclear energy is the only proven option with the capacity to produce vastly expanded supplies of clean electricity on a global scale.
Far from being competitors, nuclear power and 'new renewables' are urgently needed as partners if the world's immense clean energy needs are to be met.
TheInternational Energy Agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) is the intergovernmental body that analyses global energy demand. In the private sector, theWorld Energy Councilperforms similar assessments. The projections by both organisations point inexorably to the same conclusion: Our world cannot meet its expanding energy needs - cleanly - without a sharp expansion of nuclear energy.
Source: World Nuclear Association
"Nuclear power has to be part of the solution. Can we really understand the notion of risk? Nuclear plant versus carbon emissions - which will and has killed more people?"
- John Hennessey, President, Stanford University
"Environmental activists, notably Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, continue to lobby against clean nuclear energy. We can agree renewable energies, such as wind, geothermal and hydro are part of the solution. But nuclear energy is the only non-greenhouse gas emitting power source that can effectively replace fossil fuels and satisfy global demand."
- Patrick Moore, Environmentalist Founder of Greenpeace
