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DOCUMENTS "COM"
COM(79)90
Vol.1979/0029

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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(79)90 final
Brussels,5March1979
COMMUNICATION FROMTHECOMMISSION TOTHECOUNCIL
ontheprogressofthesupportgiventouraniumexploration
projectsintheCommunityinaccordance withArticle70
paragraph 1oftheEuratomTreaty(Regulation (Euratom)2014/76)
Souc"--•
[•:ci
C0MC79)90final
/

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FORURANIUM EXPLORATION
INTHE COMMUNITY
(ARTICLE 70OFTHEEURATOM TREATY )
1.Atitsmeeting on13February 19'5concerned with thesecurity offuture
uranium supplies ,theCouncil advocated ,inparticular ,thedevelopment
of"economical andsecure resouroes intheCommunity ",andexamination of
whether andhowaction should "betaken inseveral fields ,including
programmes for "prospecting forminerals ".
2.TheCommission was able toimplement this recommendation under the powers
afforded itbythefirst paragraph ofArticle 70oftheEkiratom Treaty .
This states that theCommission maydecide togive financial support ,
"within thelimits setbythebudget oftheCommunity ,onsuch conditions
asitshall determine ,toprospecting programmes intheterritories of
Member States ".
3.TheCommission outlined itsmedium –term proposals forArticle 70funding
inDoc.COM(76)439 of23July 1976 ,inwhich itreviewed thelevel of
funding required .
4.Thefirst year ofthis support wasin1976 when theCommission adopted
Regulation (Euratom )No.2014/76^}outlining thedecision-making
procedure forthegranting offinancial aidandthemodel contract to
beused .Applications forthis funding were requested intheOfficial
Journal oftheCommunities forthe 1million u.a .tobecommitted in
1976^. Seven projects werefinally seleoted forIVuiding –see
Annex I.
'1^0JoftheEC,14.8.1976 ,No.L221 ,p.17.
(2\)JoftheEC,14.8.1976 ,No.C191 ,p.2.

Five million u.a „were allocated inthe 1977 budget (line 321 )for the
support ofuranium exploration programmes tobecarried out
"between 1977 and1979 . - :projects were finally selected
forfunding -seeAnnex II®
TheCommission published acall forapplications forthe1978
exercise of5million u.a .tobecommitteed in1978 tor the support of
projects between 1978 and1980 on17February 1978 .Nina projects
were finally selected –BeeAnnex III.
Ineach ofthese three years theprojects were chosen following a
detailed examination oftheapplications bytheCommission® sservices .
TheCommission then sought theopinion ofindividual expert geologists
from theMember States ,Their opinion wasmade andconsidered in
thelight ofthesuggested criteria forevaluation projects published
with theoriginal call forapplications .
Theprojects forfunding were selected also bearing inmind the
principles initially recommended bytheAdvisory Committee ofthe
Euratom Supply Agency .These were :
–Inthespirit ofArticle 70ofEAEC Treaty ,Community efforts
should notreplace national andprivate efforts butcomplement
andencourage prospecting inMember States whose territory has
notsufficiently been explored .
–TheCommunity asawhole should benefit from theresults of
prospecting where ithasassisted financially andsuch benefit
should ingeneral berelated tothedegree ofCommunity support .
Thewayinwhich this should bedon© would require oaxeful
consideration .
–Funds should notbedistributed onapro-rata basis over all
prospecting projects ,existing orplanned within theCommunity ,
butaselection should bemade according toasetofcriteria
andtaking account ofsheexpertise ofthegeologists *sub-group .

-3-
–Theprocessofselectionshould "bereviewedfromtinetotimein
thelightofexperience.
9.Theresultsoftheworktodatecanbasically "bedividedbetweenthe
year1976wherealltheprogrammeswereofoneyeardurationand1977
onwardswheretheprogrammesaremainlystillongoing.
10.Ofthesevenprogrammesinitiatedin1976,thefirstyearofthefunding,
fiveweresuccessfulenoughtoleadtoextensionsoftheprogrammes
beingfundedin1977.
ThreeoftheseinitialsevenprogrammeswereintheRepublicofIreland.
Thisconcentration reflectedtheviewoftheCommissionaniitsadvisory
geologiststhatIrelandhaduraniumpotentialthatsofarhasnotbeen
tested.Thisfundingisleadingtothefirstcomprehensive evaluation
oftheuraniumpotentialofIreland.
AstheexplorationinIrelandisstillonlybeginning,itisimpossible
tosayyetwhethertheoccurrences discoveredwillleadtoanythingthat
isofeconomic .interest.Oneprogrammealsoinitiatedwasinthe
FederalRepublicofGermany,locatedinthesouthernpartofNiedersachsen
whereabroadregionalreconnaissance programmewasstartedandthis
wascarriedthroughinto1978.
InItaly,intheupperpartoftheValSerianaValley,aprogrammewas
startedtoassessthepotentialofanareainitiallydiscoveredini960
duringradiometricprospectingoftheCollioformation.Theuranium
mineralisation discoveredduringthisprogrammeprovednottobeof
economicsignificance andworkinthisareawasterminated.
InGreenlandadetaileddrillingprogrammewascarriedoutatKvanefjeld
locatedintheS.W.comerofGreenland.Thisprogrammewasvery
successfulinsignificantly ,increasingtheuraniumresourcesthereas
follows s

-4-
Reasonably assured resources 27,000 tonnes uranium (upfrom 5>800tonnes )
Estimated additional resources 16,000 tonnes uranium (upfrom 8,700tonnes )
However ,theuranium content ofthe ore islowandfurther advances in
oretreatment will berequired tomake deposits economically viable .
Oneprogramme ,inOrkney ,Scotland ,didnotgetunder -way,asplanning
permission tocarry outthedrilling programme wasrefused bytheOrkney
Islands Council .This refusal togrant permission reflected strong
opposition totheuranium exploration project byvarious groups within
andoutside theOrkneys ,who organised aprotest against this programme .
The abandoning ofthis programme was adisappointment asitisimportant
inthe evaluation oftheCommunity that allthe interesting uranium targets
should beexamined because the results ofthese investigations provide
vital information for other uranium exploration ventures aswell ason
the specific target being tested .
11.In1977 ,work onthethree Irish projects continued .Some regional
uranium reconnaissance was initiated inN.Ireland andBelgium and
following the success atKvanef jeld ,alarge regional programme isbeing
supported covering asignificant area ofS«Wo Greenland .Four regional
uranium exploration programmes arebeing supported inGermany andtwo in
Italy . V/ork ontwo ofthe German programmes isnowbeing terminated as
the results donot justify further work .These aretheNiedersachsen
andMittelfranken projects .Work has also been halted atVal Rendena
inW.Italy ,where the exploration licence hasbeen rescinded .The
cancellation ofthis licence can also beattributed tolocal groups who
were opposed touranium exploration inthis area .
12.Theprogrammes for1978 areonly ,inmany cases ,just getting underway .
However ,encouraging initial results arebeing recorded ,especially in
theprogramme inBavaria ,Federal Republic ofGermany andthat inN«Italy .

ARTICLE!70-EURATOHTREATY
Financialsupport-Proposedfundingof
projects
lianeofproject Country*
Organisation Fundinginu.c.
Kvanefjeld Greenland GeologicalSurveyofGreenland 272,000
Régionalprogramme Ireland IrishBaseMetalsLtd. 104,570
Régionalproject Ireland IrishGeologicalSurvey 14,400
LeinsterGranitéSurvey Ireland MaughLtd. 192,893
Marifunt Italy AGIPS.p.A. 219,840
Orkney U,KingdomSouthofScotlandElectricity Board162,900
Niedersachsen W.GermanyUrangesellschaft GmhH 33,397

A'(1tcvt:!:•-r-?\?o::*r.-I:,\n'
Γίηίτηο5ΛΪηιν:ΟΓ!-'^'Π,1978.·)·
ΡΓΟΡΟ:;Μ(V.··!::·■■οΓτινοΐτίο
! I FVindlng j
Norooofprojcct Couutiy Organisation1977
u.a.1970
U.a.*1979
u.a."r
IUraniumfolio»*- upprocrumnoIrolnndIrinhBanoMotoiaLtd
(iroland)»330,8-10
j60
ÎLeinoterprojoot(StageII)Iroland KauehLtd 146,91560582,16542
IRegionalSurvey XrolcwdCcologicalSurveyof
Irolond52,20030
■
PintonaBlock UK
(N.Ireland)Minore*Ltd(Iroland)85,2005013,80050
Vicâ Bolcium >VeoUnivernityof
Bruccela18,00057.48,00035
- ■
Bayerischer WaldH.Gomwiy 1)Urangocelluchaft
rabU&Co
(W.Gornany)
2)KinatonoS.A.
(Franco)135,67067.5221,295
.*67.5
sHiodore&ohoon V.GermanyUran^oellcchaft mbH
&Co(W.Gemany)121,97050144,6-185°
SOberpfalz V.Carmany j[SaarborgInterplanmbH615#20959316,26056.2254.99754-4
jKittelfranken |jH.Corrr.any|Saarl>or£IntorplwimbH|151,246|5°I|186,829|[*2I|182,326 |M°
|KvanofJcldGroenland GeologicalSurveyof
Greenland26,13340
IS.GroenlandKOR.1'rof'.Greonland I
IQeologicalSurveyof
Greonlond238,33365196,73465j
IWesternAlpaprojcctItaly Α.α.1.1·. 355,20030
|ValItcndcna jItalyA.C.I.P. j576,000 I»! t !!
ΤΟΊ'ΛΙ..2,::o,oyj 2,000,0-W|II1,000,COQ|I

ARTICLEiO-XS'.kX-.'T.Gk'fl
Financial?"^nort–1"'",1?7n-*-nd1v:0
Proposedfur.dinrcfrro^c'rs
inU03
ÎJameofproject Country OrganisationFunding 1
Total |1978 I1979 1980
–-–, i
Preliminary UProspecting relgiura UnionMinière504,839j334,312j120,077
AllihiesjIrelandHinerexLtd. 24,243J24,243
ValVedello
WesternAlpsItaly
ItalyA.G.I.P.
A.G.I.P.728,303
762,852728,303j
762,892j
URSEN Netherlands
I –ISOInternational
ResourcesConsultants42,000 42,000 j
I
♦
Cornwall-South ,ofScotlandU.Kingdom Minatone 547,0p2137,379|133,058
!275,805
BavarianForestFieldI
andFieldII
Uexplorationinthe
Schv/arzwald
KeuperVfurtte.iibergW.Germany
W.Germany
W.GermanyDeutscheBP
Uranerzbergbau
Urangesellschaft802,679
985,721
592,852317,32S
333,414
260,260244,535
352,150
139,370240,816
290,157
193,222
TOTAL;
4,990,631*2,990,631*11,003,000
■ i1,000,000
*
Thesunof9,3o9UCEhasalreadybeencorj;:itted "brvrriitenprocedure;7o.S3C(7S)7S'2-iclc3"1•