This Wednesday, a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)in which he reported the disappearance of some 2.5 tons of natural uranium in Libya.
The revelation arose after a visit to that country in the north of Africawhere inspectors of the IAEA “They discovered that 10 containers with about 2.5 tons of natural uranium in the form of uranium concentrate (yellow cake) were not present where they had been declared by the authorities”.
Reported disappearance of 2.5 tons of uranium in Libya
The report was consigned by the director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, in a report addressed to member states. The nuclear organism of the UN indicated that it will carry out “additional” verifications to “clarify the circumstances of the disappearance of this nuclear material and its current location.”
So far, no details have been provided about the location of the disappearance in question. The news generates a certain tone of concern in the international authorities, since Libya abandoned its nuclear weapons development program in 2003created under the government of Muammar Gaddafi.
since the fall of kaddafi In 2011, after 42 years in power, Libya finds itself in the throes of a serious political crisis, with rival forces dividing the North African country into East and West and endless militias and mercenaries scattered throughout the territory, in a context of foreign interference.
Two governments vie for power, one based in Tripoli (west) recognized by the UNand the other supported by the marshal Khalifa Haftarstrong man from the east Libya.
Egypt gets into uranium production in 2023
Egypt will start the production of uranium from the year 2024, announced last Tuesday the head of the Atomic Energy Authority of the country (EAEA, for its acronym in English), amr elhag.
“We will start producing raw uranium in 2024 with the help of Egyptian specialists and ideas,” he told the CBC.
He stressed that raw uranium is not suitable for use in nuclear power plant reactors and that Egypt will have to send the substance to other countries for proper processing.
According to the head of the agency, the subordinate nuclear fuel manufacturing plant is one of nine of its kind in the world, and will save Egypt money as it is more expensive to import fuel than to produce it domestically.
“If we reach serious agreements, we could export nuclear fuel used for scientific reactors”said El Hag. He stated that Egypt needs highly qualified personnel to work in this field.
According to local media, uranium exploration began in Egypt in 1965. The mines are located in the border areas with Libya, as well as in the regions near the seaside resort of Hurghada and the Qena-Safaga highway.
It was previously reported that the Russian fuel company, TVEL, and the EAEA had signed contract documents to supply Egypt with low-enrichment nuclear fuel components for the ETRR-2 nuclear research reactor, located in the Egyptian town of Inshas.
Source: Ambito
