Show Announces Ja Jan 1 Close Date For Monticello Mill The Atomic Energy Commis Commis- Commission Commission sion lion will close its uranium nt Gt Monticello on or about January January Jan uary 1 1960 the commission announced an- an today This mill tho the only owned commission uranium ore processing plant will be maintained in a sand sand-by condi condi- tion The Monticello mill is being i operated by the National Lend Lead company Inc under contract with the The mill at present present pre sent Is treating uranium ores at atthe atthe atthe the rate of approximately tons per day which Is ts about the minimum economic operating rate Ore deliveries In recent recent months have averaged about tons per day and a substantial part of the mill feed has been drawn from accumulated stock piles To operate at a ton per perda da day rate after December 31 1959 1939 the would have to purchase a substantial quantity of ore in access of programmed require require- ments This would create problems problems lems terns in other uranium producing producing ing areas Furthermore it would I add approximately to toJ J annual uranium expendi expenditures I tures during the period when itis It Itis is attempting to hold uranium purchases in reasonable balance with requirements Mine owners should find an on adequate market at privately operated mills in the same gen gen- I eral oral l area for ores normally processed processed pro pro- f at Monticello However un until satisfactory arrangements are made the Commission will continue to operate an ore buy ing station at Monticello for the purchase of ot and carpe carno car car- no type type ores from the mine owners desiring to ship such ores oresto oresto oresto to Monticello under the provisions provisions provisions provi provi- of the Commissions Commission's Domestic Domestic Do Do- Uranium program Circular Circular lar mar 5 Revised The Monticello mill was built In in the early as part of an extensive vanadium concentrate concen t rat r a t e c procurement sponsored by the War Procurement Procurement Procure Procure- ment Hoard Board The Tha Commission ac acquired acquired acquired ac- ac the mill from the War Assets Administration converted it to a vanadium uranium ore processing plant and put it into production in 1949 with the Gallgher Gall Gall- gher company of Salt Stilt Lake City as the original operator Since that time a number of process changes have been made to develop develop de de- operating data ort oil Improved ed methods of ot ore treatment With the closing of the MonI Monticello Monticello Mon Mon- mill mm all domestic ore oro pro pros will be carried on by I private industry Twenty two Twenty two privately owned mills are In operation operation op op- throughout the western states They rhey have a total capacity of approximately tons of ot ore per day I |