Chinese scientists have found huge deposits of uranium ore at unprecedented depths – making China’s total estimated reserves of Uranium more than tenfold, to more than 2 million tons.
This number puts China on a par with Australia, one of the countries with the largest uranium reserves in the world.
The team of geologists used the world’s most advanced technology and equipment to probe 3,000 meters underground – six times deeper than most of China’s existing uranium mines.
Many experts generally believe that radioactive elements are concentrated only in a shallow, not deep area. But in recent years, several large uranium deposits have been found in southern China, which are more than 1,500 meters below the Earth’s surface.
This depth has experienced intense geological tectonics and scientists once believed that the process of forming uranium ore was impossible.
Uranium plays a key role in the production of weapons and the Chinese military’s nuclear stockpile. The country’s demand for nuclear energy is growing rapidly. Every year, China builds 7 to 8 new nuclear reactors.
However, most uranium mines in China are small-scale with poor ore quality. More than 70% of the country’s supply comes from Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia.
In the future, China will no longer need to import Uranium and will become a leader in nuclear energy.
