| Show Mills Dont Don't Keep Up With Growing Uranium Piles Expansion of DC uranium ore processing processing pro pro- mills on the Colorado Plateau has been unable to keep pace with the terrific rate of discovery discovery dis dis- covery and to date rock is s literally literally literally liter liter- ally piling up at existing mills Efforts expended by the Atomic Energy Commission to expand capacity capacity ca ca- is reflected in the experience of oC E. E G. G Crabtree deputy manager manager manager mana mana- ger of the Grand Junction office office of of- fice who is working overtime with potential operators and on one occasion was carrying on negotiations negotiations with three parties almost simultaneously Despite the expansion expansion ex ex- of oC mill capacity planned or underway if iC discoveries continue continue con con- to be made at the present rate ore will continue to swamp the mills a condition not without its comforts Current pressure for Cor additional mills is attracting many competent firms to the Colorado Plateau but not everyone may build a mill There is no point in building a mill if the concentrates cannot be sold so as the only market for Cor the concentrates concentrates con con- the effectively decides decides decides de de- who will build a mill and where Considered first by the is the ore supply and it insists that thata a supply for Cor the proposed plant be tied up securely for Cor five years Such a requirement safeguards companies that invested money in new plants at the invitation of the when mills were even more sorely needed by deterring cutthroat cutthroat cut cut- throat bidding for Cor ores The encourages potential mill operators to think in terms oCa of oC ofa ofa a ton per day mill as the minimum minimum minimum mini mini- mum practical size although this is by no means a limit merely advice based on experience What it means to the operator is that half hall of oC the required five years' years reserve for Cor a ton mill amounts to about tons of ore in the ground The also Insists that prospective prospective prospective pros pros- mill operators demonstrate their technical knowledge Millers may use any process they desire in ill the proposed plant to produce a suitable uranium concentrate but recovery and costs must bein be bein bein in line with experience at existing trills mills and In pilot plants Processes developed by the or its contractors can be made available Then the prospective mill operator operator operator op op- must submit a firm proposal proposal proposal pro pro- giving details on cost of oC plant Fant cost of oC operation and metallurgical metal data All An this may sound like red tape to the average reader but these are arc figures that any millman millman mill millman man would put together on anyhow how Costs of oC erecting uranium mills in terms of oC unit capacities are not available but uranium mills are said to come higher than comparable comparable comparable able plants treating other min min- A good guess would be 10 10 to per ten per day The final Cinal step Is negotiation ofa of DC ofa a contract which calls for Cor the to purchase concentrates for Cor fora Cora a given period usually five years at a fixed price The price is dependent dependent de de- pendent mainly on operating costs Here the treads the narrow path of seeing to it that the taxpayers taxpayers' taxpayers taxpayers' tax tax- payers payers' dollars buy as much as aEl possible while ensuring that the mill man gets a fair Cair return on his investment What is a fair Cair return This figure figure fig fig- ure is never revealed bat but an unofficial unofficial un un- official estimate places it between 10 per cent and 15 per cent |
