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COMMISSION OFTHEEUROPEAN COMMUNITIES
COM(77)383 final .
Brussels,28July 1977
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PROPOSALFORACOUNCILDECISIONADOPTING APROGRAMME
OPRESEARCH ANDDEVELOPMENT FORTHEEUROPEANATOMICENERGY
COMMUNITYONURANIUMEXPLORATION ANDURANIUMEXTRACTION
(submittedtotheCouncil"bytheCommission)
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C0M(77)383final

X13/178/77-E
ANNEX1
PROPOSALFORAMULTIAMUAL R&DPROORAMME
QTTHE!FIELDOFURANIUMEXPLORATION ANDURANIUMEXTRACTION
(inàxreotaction)
(1978-80)

111/176/77-
TableofContenta
I,Introduotion «3
1,1.Uraniumneeds 3
1,2.Uraniumresourceposition 4
1,3,PresentsituationinR&Dintheneaberstate 4'
2.H&Dprogrammeoontents 5
2,1.R&Dilluraniumexploration teohniques 5
2.1.1.Disooveryofuraniumprovinces 5
2.1.2.Disoo-reryofspeoifiouraniumtargets .7
2.1.3.Calibrationofinstrumentation 8
2.2.R&Dinuraniumextraction' 9
2.2.1.Studiesofteohnioo-eoonomie feasibility 10
2.2.2.R&Daotivityprojects IX
3*FinanoingandmanagementoftheR&Dprogramme 14
AnnexI 16
Anne*II 18
AnnexIII 19

XII/178/77-S
INTRODUCTION
TheCommissionisatpresentengagedinvariousactionsto
ensureadequateandsecuresuppliesofnaturaluraniumfor
theCommunity.
TheseincludeactionsoutsidetheCommunityto
facilitatethesupplyofuraniumtotheMemberStatesby
improvingtheconditionsfortheCommunities 'industryto
operateabroadinuraniumexploration andproduction.Inside
theCommunity,theCommissionispartiallyfundinguranium
exploration ,underarticlefOoftheEuratomTreaty.
Tocomplementthesemeasures,theCommissionandexpertsfrom
theCommunityconsiderthatsupportofresearchanddevelop­
mentinuraniumexploration anduraniumore–processingis
neededatCommunitylevelasprovidedbytheCouncil
resolutionsof14January1974onanoutlineprogrammeinthe
fieldofscienceandtechnology.
TheneedtofinanceR&Dshouldbeseeninthelightofthe
Community'sexpandingrequirements fornaturaluraniumand
theneedtodevelopmoreadvanceduraniumexploration methods
anduraniumextraotion andrecoverytechnologyto
evaluateandexploitpotentialuraniumresources.
1.1.URANIUMNEEDS
By1985,itisprojectedthatthenaturaluranium
requirement oftheCommunitywillhavegrownfromits
presentlevelof6.000tonnesUto18000tonnesUperyear
(seeannexII)andthiswillrepresentaboutone
thirdoftheincreasingworlddemandforuranium.
Evenifthereisfurtherslightslippageinnuolear .
programmesandasittakes7–10yearstodis­
coveranddevelopanuraniumdeposit,aotionto
facilitatethediscoveryandmethodsofprocessing
uranismdeposits'inadditiontothosealreadyknown
isneedednowtohaveaneffectonthemarketinthe
mid-1S80*s..

-4~ XII/I78/77-S
URANIUM RESOURCE POSITION
Presently outlined uranium reserves (seeannex III)tatacost
ofunder 15$/lbU^Og areestimated at1.250.000 tonnes
uranium .Estimated additional resources inthesame cost
bracket areassessed at98O .OOOtonnes uranium .Reasonably
assured resources inthe15–30$/lb.U^Og category amount
to820.000 tonnes uranium and estimated additional resources
inthesame cost bracket to89O .OOOtonnes .
These estimated additional resources still ,inmany cases ,
remain tobefound .However ,thepotential forfinding large
newdeposits throughout theworld isgood ,provided RStDis
carried outtoprovide adequate exploration methods .
Besides these estimated additional resources ,itiscon­
sidered that there might well beatleast another 10million
tonnes uranium available atacost under 30$/lb.,butat
unknown locations .Noreliable evaluation can bemade at
present forthecategory above 30$/lb.
Ithasbeen estimated that the annual discovery rate todate
foruranium isbetween 40.000 and80.000 tonnes ayear .Since
by1990 "theworld uranium requirement could beoftheorder
of120.000 tonnes ,theannual discovery rate needs tobe
trebled ifadequate forward reserves aretobemaintainedo
Many oftheworld 'ssignificant uranium provinces were
discovered before the1950 's.Although there areBtill
prospective areas where little uranium exploration hasbeen
carried out ,more effort isrequired todiscover new
uranium provinces anddeeply buried orebodies .
Recent increases intheprice ofuranium have augmented the
number ofpossible targets both inside theCommunity and
outside .
PRESENT SITUATION INR&DINTHEMEMBER STATES
TheCommission andexperts from themember Btates have
examined thestate ofresearch anddevelopment inuranium
exploration anduranium oreprocessing .
Theconclusion isthat although considerable research has
been undertaken inthese fields ,especially during theearly
1960*s ,only limit adwork hasbeen carried outsince inth®
Connsur.ity inthepublic ofprivate seotors .Todiscover the

5- XII/I78/77/-B
newuranium reserves required ,itisvital thatR&D
into newuranium exploration techniques bestimulated *
Moreover ,R&D into ore-processing methods isneeded
tomake itpossible toexploit especially thesmall
high-grade deposits present intheCommunity aswell as
lower grade ores .Todothis work effectively andto
avoid useless duplication ofeffort ,co-ordination at
theCommunity level isrequired .Financial help is
needed asanincentive toindustry todevelop newad­
vanced technology ,carry outtechnical andeconomic
studies andtodevelop potentially exportable technologies#
This help would take theform ofcost-sharing contracts
whereby theCommission would provide part ofthefunds
needed tocarry outR&D projects aspart of&jointly
coordinated andmanaged programme *
R&DPROGRAMME CONTENTS
2.1.RESEARCH ANDDEVELOPMENT ITTURANIUM EXPLORATION TECHNIQUES
Thechallenge tofind enough uranium reserves forthe
expanded future needs requires R&D ,especially toimprove
geological andinterpretive skills andinsight .Various
Methods need tobesupported ,asthefuture range of
techniques appropriate fordifferent geological environments
varies markedly from area toarea .
Itisconsidered that many future uranium deposits are
likely tobedeeply buried orcovered with overburden and
that improved methods ofdetection areneeded toovercome
theshort –comings ofgamma detection methods *
2.1.1 . DISCOVERY OPURANIUM PROVINCES
2*1*1.1 .Studies ofuranium geology andmetallogeny
Even though much attention hasbeen given toproblems of
uranium ore ,genesis ,there isstill considerable uncertainty
over determining themajor controls ofuranium mineralis­
ation ,Advances inthis area arerequired toprovide a
better information base foruranium exploration planning .
Evaluation ofthefavourable geological units foruranium
inEurope should becarried outincluding their position
inthemetallogenstio cycle .Therelationship ofuranium
mineralisation tosedimentological controls ,teotonios and
rock geochemistry should beexamined .Some ofthis re­
search ooixldwell beassociated with theurwiiua exploration

support provided under ertiol® (0oftne iSurstcn , .
Treaty . ■ !
2.1.1.2 .Study oflead isotopes
Themeasurement ofisotope ratios provides vital
information onthe conditions under which deposition
hastaken place .Toassess thepotential ofusing
lead isotopes toindicate andidentify uranium provinces ,
aoneyear feasibility study isproposed .This would
involve rock sampling andanalyses todetermine
Fb204 ,206 ,207and208inconjunction with routin#
exploration campaigns .
2ol«l«3 .Development oftechniques forrapid routine
geochemical analysis
Inthefield andlaboratory ,rapid ,accurate ,cost-
effective analyses provide theinformation basis for
exploration .programmes .Asexploration field seasons
areoften limited (e.g. inGreenland )itisvital to
have afast turn-around insample analysis .Inmads
spectrometry thedevelopment ofdirect sample pre­
sentation atatmospherio pressure together with adequate
sensitivity ,ideally foralarge number ofelements ,would
beaworthwhile development .
2.1.1.4 .Remote sensing
Thebenefits andlimits oftheinformation provided by
.remote 'sensing techniques ,especially when applied to
outlining specifio uranium provinces anddeposits ,needs
further investigation .Further evaluation ofthein­
formation already made available should b@o&rriad out *
Thespecifio application ofmultiapaotral recording and
side-looking radar ,toaidinidentifying uranium
provinces ?should beevaluated .
2.I#1.5 .Airborne geochemistry
Tobeable toaccurately inter prat airboi*ne radiometric
weanuretaents would addsignificantly totheusefulness of '
this tool Inuraniuja exploration# Equipment suviintc.j-p' ,-&tiv*
+«ohniqTj.$® fVrt&Rr dwal^moat ,especially lr*ofT0.dc.n .5. -~saviPo~i® .todofeftralr *tkedr
l?.#Sj.l\

T XII/178/77-E
2.1.2.DISCOVERT OFSPECIFIC URANIUM TARGETS
2.1.2.1o Migration ofgaseous daughter products ofuranium
Astudy ofthemigration andmeasurement ofgaseous
daughter products from radioactive mineralisation in
order todetect buried deposits ,will hedone with
emphasis onradon ,helium andargon .Theusefulness
ofpresent techniques formeasuring radon (pump
monitors ,static monitors ,track-etch andsolid-state
detectors )anditseffects (thermoluminescence )will
hecompared .Aone-year pilot phase isforeseen which ,
ifconclusive ,will hefollowed byatwo-year project .
2.1.2.2 .Transportation anddeposition ofuranium from solution
Uranium isusually mobile inthehydrogeochemical environ­
ment .However ,itiadifficult tointerprete anomalous
uranium values asthecontrols acting inthis environment
arenotfully understood .Astudy ofthetransportation
ofuranium andother accompanying elements inwater ,its
transfer tosoil ,lake sediments andvegetation inknown
uranium districts isrequired ,todetermine thephysico­
chemical controls .
2„l,2«3f >Direct measurement ofuranium in-situ
Thedirect measurement ofuranium in–situ would beofspecial
usetotheuranium mining industry where disequilibrium
among uranium daughter products isaproblem indrill-hole
evaluation .Thetechniques available atpresent (X–ray ,
fluorescence ,Californium neutron sources andneutron
generators )have yettobefully developed .Assessment
anddevelopment oftheinstrumentation available isre­
quired .
Theinterpretation ofdata from drill–hole logging also
presents difficult problems which will b©theobject offc
study byanexpert group .

2.1.3 .CALIBRAT !OITOPINSTRUMENTATION
Inorder that exploration results canbeaccurately inter –
preted andcompared with work carried outelsewhere ,there
isaneed fortheEuropean Community tomake generally
available :
a)counting standards (radium ,thorium ,potassium )for
thecalibration ofexploration instrumentation ,
b)large diameter sources ,forthecalibration offield
scintillometers andspectrometers ,
o)test strips forin-flight calibration ofaeroradiometrio
survey instruments .
ACommunity aotion in
these facilities *this area isrequired toestablish

XI1/178A?-s
RESEARCH ,£FI >DEVELOPMENT INURANIUM EXTRACTION
TheCommission ,with thehelp ofnational experts ,has
analysed thestate ofR&Dactivities onuranium processing
andrecovery inthevarious member states *
Theanalysis hasshown that there isarenewed interest inthis
field forthefollowing reasons 2
–increasing uranium world demand
–increasing uranium prices
–concern with regard totheprospect ofasecure uranium
supply from external sources
Knowing that theuranium reserves within theCommunity are
limited ,R&D efforts areneeded atCommunity level to
stimulate interest onthe extraction ofuranium from low-
grade ores andother sources *
This isavital necessity fortheCommunity inorder to
ensure supply ofthis critical material *
Moreover ,ifadvanced processes forrecovery ofuranium were
developed ,this would give tothemember states the
possibility ofexporting advanced technology *That ,to­
gether with thevalue oftherecovered uranium ,would ,thus
reduce thebalance ofpayment defioits *
Theresearoh topics seleoted would either result in
significant reduotion inprocessing costs orlead touranium
recovery from resources which have notsofarbeen tapped *
Care wasexercised tobelect theresearch topics which would
develop into methods that have potential forsignificant
cost reduction inuranium recovery processes *.These researoh
efforts would 1
–beofdirect orindirect interest toall member states
–complement orreinforce current national R&D efforts
–avoid useless duplication ofnational R&'3)efforts
Thepresent proposal isstructured along twomajor lines t
a)Studies oftechnico-economic feasibility
aimed atthe improvement ofthe evaluation ofuranium
recovery from various souroes
b)R&Dactivity projects
aimed at +.h«improvement ofprocessing andrecovery
technology with foous/iBw-gr&d® or®andresources
aspossible alternative sources ofsupply *

-10 ui/iiQ/n«i
2.2.1 . STUDIES OFTECHNI CO-ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY
2.2.1.1 * Recovery ofuranium from phosphoric acid liquors
High uranium prices offer thephosphate industry an
attractive opportunity torecover uranium asaby­
product offertilizer manufacture .Recovery from
phosphoric acid liquors would mean keeping animportant
resource toaugment theEEC'snuclear fuel supply while
atthesame time removing aradioactive contaminant from
process residues andfertilizers .Inorder toassess the
feasibility ofrecovering uranium from this source andthe
commercial andenvironmental implications ,itisproposed
tocarry outasurvey ofphosphate processing plantB inthe
EEC ,inorder toestimate tonnages andassess technical
.andeconomic problems likely toarise .Insome cases itmay
benecessary toobtain analytical data onuranium con­
centrations inores ,process liquors andresidues .This
project will becomplementary toprojeot 2.2.2.3.1 .
2.2.I.2 . Extraction ofuranium from seawater
Various countries oftheCommunity have carried out
extensive studies onthe extraction ofuranium from sea
water and dilute solutions .
Many results obtained inthis research have notbeen
reported fully .
Itisconsidered that thereporting ofthis work isan
essential prerequisite forhelping further studies onthe
absorption -elution process andonabsorber selection
anddevelopment sothat unnecessary duplication canbe
avoided .Itisproposed tocarry outadetailed review
ofexperience inthis field .
2*2oln3 « Prevention ofpollution from ore–processing operations
Aproblem ofgreat concern istheprevention ofpollution
bywastes arising from present andfuture conventional mill
operations .This islikely tobeeven more serious when
low-grade ores areworked byin-eitu leaching methods •A
detailed review oftheproblems andtheir potential
solutions will beundertaken *
O0•/•»Q

-ir- XII/I78/77-B
2,2.2 .R&D ACTIVITY PROJECTS
2»2o2»3 .« Development ofextraction techniques
2«2o2«.l nlaIn-sitn leaching fortha exploitation ofdepoeitB of
limited size
Inorder toassess thepossibilities ofexploiting small
(10–500tonnes ofuranium metal content )medius>-to high
grade oredeposits intheCommunity ,tests will becarried
outusing in-situ leaching techniques with acid oralka­
line solutions .Special emphasis will beplaced onthe
preparation oftheoredeposits :
(a)'toprevent environmental pollution ,particularly
ofgroundwater
.(b)toimprove contact between ores andreagent
One ormore suitable sites will beseleoted for field tests
inorder toevaluate uranium recovery andextraction costs .
2.2.2.1*2.Bacterial leaching
Bacterial leaching processes invarious forms (vat
leaching ,stope leaching ,heap leaching ,bacterial re­
generation oflixiviants )mayhave several advantages ,
suoh assavings inchemicals ,reduced capital-cost ,lower­
ingofcut-off grade ofores andalleviation ofenviron­
mental problems .
Laboratory andpilot plant tests will becarried out in
order tocompare thevarious possible approaches ,with
emphasis ontheeconomic aspects incomparison with other
processing techniques .Sofarthetechnique ofbacterial
leaching hasbeen only applied topyritic ores and itis
proposed toapply ittoother types ofores (e.g. sand­
stone )andtoobtain information onengineering design
parameters .
2#2.201«3 *High temperature ,high pressure leaching
Laboratory andpilot trials ofthis technique will be
undertaken onores such assandstones and shales *
There isipotential forreducing leaching eontaot time
from days tominutes byusing high temperature ,high
pressure 1sacking ©.g„intubular reaotors .

»12 ΆΙΙ/Π&ίΠ -«
2.2.2.1.4 .Extraction ofuranium andother values from refractory
«► ores and calcines
Insome areas oftheCommunity ,there isevidence oflarge
tonnages ofuranium inrefractory minerals ,aswell as
inoilshales andlignites .Ageneral approach forthe
"treatment ofthese types ofores will include the
application ofleaching ,roasting andchlorination pro­
cesses .Consideration will also begiven tothefollow -
in® !
–refractory orefrom Greenland (steenstrupine ):
laboratory investigations tostimulate hydrothermal
alteration processes asastep inthedevelopment
ofextraction processes forthis potential ore ;
–oilshales andlignites :theapplication offluidized
"bedroasting ;recovery ofuranium contained inthe
calcines ,together with other values e.g. vanadium
andaluminium ,byalkaline extraction orbyanyother
method ;
–recovery ofuranium from refraotory ores asa
volatile chloride .
*

XII/178/77-B
2»2»2e2e Processing cflowgrade oresandwastes
2s2«2a£cvl *Extrac tionofuranium fromphosphatic sediments
Thepotential ofphosphatic sediments located in
Europe ashost foruranium deposits isnowattracting
interest andsome occurrences have already "been
identified .Mineralogical studies andlaboratory
teste will "beinitiated toidentify thetechnological
solutions torecover uranium aswell asother valu­
able components (non-ferrous metals etc.)
Pilot scale work could follow thesuccessful completion
oflaboratory work .
202.2*2.2 .Extraction ofuranium' fromphosph aterocktreatment
wastes
Intheproduction ofphosphoric acid andfertilizers
intheCommunity ,uranium isconcentrated incertain
wastes such asleach residues andphospho gypsum which
present problems indisposal butatthesame time
contain valuable concentrations ofuranium .Itis
proposed toexamine methods ofrecovering thisuranium
andalleviate thedisposal problem .
2«2e2«3 * Recovery ofuranium from low-grade resources
2.2®2«,3.1 » Recovery ofuranium fromphosphor icacid liquors
Phosphate rock containing 50 "to200PPmu*s*m"
ported into ECcountries fortheproduction of
approximately 2,500,000 tpaPgO-.Alarge partofthe
uranium ispresent inprocess liquors andthere is
potential fortherecovery of1000–2000tpaUranium .
Solvent extraction processes which arevery oomplex
have been developed intheUSAbuthave notyetbeen
applied commercially because ofdifficulties associated
with thehandling ofhighly acidio liquors .
Itisproposed toexamine alternative processes involv­
ingtheuseofsimilar solvent extraction andion
exchange techniques butwith novel reagents which should
lead tosimpler andmore economic reoovery .
••/••

14- XII /IWT7 «S
Extraction ofuranium from seawater
Alarge amount ofwork has "been and iscarried outin
some member countries ontheextraction ofuranium
from seawater (see2.2.1.2 .). These studies indicated
that recovery costs would behigh .However ,inview
ofuranium marketing activities producing concern over
security ofsupply andtheavailability ofthis
potentially large resource ,there isrenewed interest
inthis topic .
Specific suggestions andviews from some ECcountries
indicate that uranium canbeextracted from seawater
using special systems which involve newtypes ofin­
organic andorganic synthetic absorbers ,other com­
pounds andbiological systems capable ofentrapping
uranium ions present invery dilute solutions .
Research .-efforts should beundertaken atlaboratory
scale tobefollowed bypilot tests inorder tore-
evaluate theprospects foreconomio recovery .
3.FINANCING ANDMANAGEMENT OFTHER&D
PROGRAMME
Hieprogramme will beexecuted asaCommunity in­
direct action .Foraninitial period ofthree years
(1978 –1980 ),thetotal cost oftheprogramme is
evaluated at9*3Mua .Partial funding ofthis indirect
action bytheCommunity isestimated atamaximum of
4«65 Mua ,i.e. :
1.40 MuaforR&Dinuranium exploration
3.25 MuaforR&Dinuranium ore-processing andrecove
ry(seetentative breakdown inAnnex I)ofwhich
89$will gotofunding contracts and11$tomanar-
gement andcoordination oftheprogramme .
TheCommission will execute theprogramme inclose
cooperation with theAdvisory Committee onProgramme
Management innatural uranium R&D ,tobeestablished
bythe Council ofMinisters .
TheCommittee will examine allR&D proposals sub­
mitted and advise the Commission ontheir relative
merits .Itwill follow uptheprojects during their
execution andevaluate them upon completion .It
will also make recommendations onnew research needs
andpriorities forthecontinuation oftheprogramme *
Yearly reports will bemade ontheexecution of'th®
programme bytheCommission totheCouncil and
Parliament .

-15- XII/I78/77-S
Theinformation resulting from theimplementation
cfthis programme shall badisseminated .inaccordance
with Regulation (EEC)no.2380/74OJno.L255 »
20»9 D1974 p.1decided bytheCouncil on
17September 1974 *

-16- m/I78/77-S
AH1
R«DProgrammeinuraniumexploration
and.extraction(1970-1980)
Total
Cost
(Mua)Maximum
Community
contribution
(Hua)
Uraniumexploration
DiBCovery5furanium
provinces
–Uraniumgeologystudies
–StudyofFbisotopes
–Techniquesforrapid
geochemicalanalysis
–Remotesensingapplied
toprospection
-Airbornegeochemistry1.6 0.7
Discoveryofspecificuranium
targets 1.0 0.S
Migrationofgaseous
daughterproduotsof
uranium
Transportation and
depositionofuranium
fromsolution
Directmeasurement of
uraniumin-situ
Galibrationofinstrumentation
0.2
Sub-total 2.80.2
1©4

17- XII/178/77-B
R&DProgrammeinuraniumexploration
andextraction
TotalCoBt
(Mua)Maximum
Community
contribution
(Mua)
Uraniumore–procèsemg
2S2<,1.Studiesoftechnical-
economicfeasibility
2.2®2,1Developmentofextraction
techniques
–In-situleaching
–Bacterialleaching
–Hightemperature ,high
pressureleaching
–Extraction fromrefractory
oresandcalcines0.2
3.70.2
1.8
2.2»2.2Processingoflow-gradeores0.4
andwastes
–Extraction fromphosphatic
sediments .
–Extraction from/phosphoric
rocktreatmentplant
2.2.2.3Recoveryfromlow-graderesources2.2
–Phosphoricacidliquors
–Sea-water0.2
1.05
Subtotal
Total6.5
9.33.25
4.65
ofwhich4.15forcostsharing
contractsand0.50mana­
gementandcoordination

ANNEXII.
SITUATION ANDESTIMATES OFNUCLEARGENERATING CAPACITY ANDURANIUMDEMAND.
LineEstimate 197619801985 1990
1.EEC GWe 19.147 90160
2.WorldAIEA
(WorldNuclearPower
Growth,notincluded
countrieswithcentra­
lizedeconomics)GWe 178(350
(400(550
(750
3.:EECannualdemandI000tonnesU/year 612,5 18 28
4.I
EECcumulative demand 000tonnesU 640120 250

XIl/178/77
Ainrax III-s
*Summarized world uranium reserves
Reasonably assured Estimated additional !
ressourcesressources 1
153/lb 15-30 15Plb 15-30
T831bU3°8
(reserves )U3°8 U38
Australia
s
Canada(21145U)
28<2>80
303Kot known
302 <2>
South Africa 186 90
1806 68
U.S. A* 420 500 312
Western Europe 54 423 35 131
Other 133 61 60 77
1
i
iTotal (rounded )1250 820 980 890
I
I
ιChange over
»+170 +90 –20 +210
ιreference
+Categories are "byreference to'price' ranges p20and
$20–40instead of'cost *
+Includes by-products ofphosphate andcopper production
SEFigures taken firom :
Nuclear Energy Agency andInternational Atomic Energy Agency Uraniumt
Resources ,production anddemand ,including other nuclear fuel cyole
data .(Paris :0ECD ,1976 )78p.
unless otherwise indicated
(1)Gray A.J. Australian uranium -will itever become available ?
Reference 5«28–37
(2)Canada ,Department ofEnergy ,Mines andResources .
1975 Assessment ofCanada 'suranium supply anddemand
(Ottawa :TheDepartment .June 1976 ).
(3)United States .ERDA .National uranium resource evaluation
(Washington .D.C :EREa .June 1976 ).

PROPOSALFORACOUNCILDECISIONADOPTINGAPROGRAMME
OFRESEARCHANDDEVELOPMENT FORTHEEUROPEANATOMICENERGY
COMMUNITYONURANIUMEXPLORATION ANDURANIUMEXTRACTION
(INDIRECTACTION)
TheCounciloftheEuropeanCommunities ,
HavingregardtotheTreatyestablishingtheEuropeanAtomioEnergy
Community,andinparticularArticle7thereof;
HavingregardtotheproposaloftheCommissionpresentedaftercon­
*suitationwiththeScientificandTechnicalCommittee;
HavingregardtotheOpinionoftheEuropeanParliament ;
Whereas,underthecommonscientificandtechnological policy,the
multi-annual programmeofresearchariddevelopmentisoneofthe
Community'sessentialwaysofcontributing towards
"nuclearindustries andtowardstheacquisition and
dissemination ofknowledgeinthenuclearsector;
WhereastheCommunity,dopondsinagreatextentfromthirdcountries
foritsnaturaluraniumsupplyandthusthattheCommunity'sinterest
istodeveloptheexistingresourcesonitsterritory ;
WhereasaCommunityresearchanddevelopmentactioninthefieldof
uraniumexploration andextractionwouldcontributetotherealiza­
tionoftheabove-mentioned objectives

X11/178/77-E
HASDECIDED ASFOLLOWS i
Article 1
Aprogramme ofresearch and .development on
extraction asBst out in Annex A ,
ofthree years starting on January 1978 .
part ofthis Decision ,
Article 2
Fortheimplementation ofthis programme ,themaximum amount oftheexpen­
diture commitments isevaluated at4.65million units ofaccount and .
themaximum staff shall bethree persons .Theunit ofaccount isdefined
acoording tofinancial regulations inforce .uranium exploration anduranium
shall beadopted foraperiod
Annex Aforms anintegral
Done atBrussels
For tlie Counoil
The President

Xïï/l78/77-E
AMEXÅ
2#1»ResearohareaIIUraniumExploration
2»1«1«Discoveryofuraniumprovinces •
-Uraniumgeologystudies
-StudyofPbisotopes
-Techniquesforrapidgeochemicalanalysis
-Reraotesensingappliedtoprospection
-Airbornegeoohemistry
2,1.2.Discoveryofspecifiouraniumtargets
-Migrationofgaseousdaughterproductsofuranium
-Transportation anddepositionofuraniumfromsolutions
-Directmeasurement ofuraniuminsitu
2.1.3*Calibration ofinstrumentation
2,2,Uraniumore-processing andextraction
2*2.1*Studiesoftechnical-economiofeasibility
2e2«2,l»Development ofextractiontechniques
-Insituleaohing
r-Bacterialleaohing
-Hightemperature-highpressureleaching
. -Extraotion fromrefraotoryoresandoaloines
2®2.,2.2.Processingoflowgradeoresandwastes
-Extraction fromphosphatio Bedimenta '
-Extractionfromphosphoricrocktreatmentplants
2®2»2®3»Recoveryfromlowgraderesources
-Phosphoricacidliquors
–Seawater
Researohworkwi.llbecarriedoutbywayofcontracts®

XII/178/77-E;
FINANCIAL DATA
BUDGETCHAPTER;3364
HEADINGOFTHEBUDGETTITLE:Researchprogrammeinthe*1elJ.uraniumexplorationanduraniumextraction(indirectaction1978/80)
JURIDICALBASIS:Article7ofEAECTreaty
CouncilDecision
DESCRIPTION-OBJECTIVES ANDJUSTIFICATION OFACTION
4.1.Description :
Uraniumexploration anduraniumextraction.
Researchprogrammecarriedoutbymeansofcost-sharingcontracts
iwithresearchorganizationsinthememberstates,inthefollowing
researchareas:
1)ResearchandDevelopmentinuraniumexploration
2)ResearchandDevelopmentinuraniumextractionandore-processing .
4.2.Obiectives :
R&Daimedat:
1)Increasingtheself-supplypotentialoftheECinuranium
2)developingnewtechniquesforexplorationandexploitations of
uraniumdeposits.
4.3.Justification :
ActionscarriedoutatCommunityleveloptimizetheproductivity
ofresearchundertakeninthememberstates/byavoidinguseless
duplicationandfillinggaps.Theyalsomakeitpossibletoconcen­tratethepotentialoftheresearchorganizations inthememberstatesonproblemsofcommoninterestandfacilitatethedevelop"*
mentofadvancedtechnologies .

TOTALFINANCIALINCIDENCE OFACTIONDURINGTHETSRMENVISAGED(inEUA)
Fyrded:
"í "'•'-Y'i*■n
5.0.0.Multiannual term ■
Commitment
1978 1979 1980 1981
Staff 123.100 132.948 142.796
Manag.30.900 33.372 35.844
Contracts 2.846.000 1.183.680 121.360
TOTAL 3.000.000 1.350.000 300.000
PAYMENT
1978 1979 1980 1981
Staff 123.100»
132.948 142.796
Manag. 30,900 33.372 35,844
Contracts 646.000 833.680 2.421.360 230.900
TOTAL 800.000 1o000o000 2.600.000 250.000

XI1/178/77-E
5.0.7.Evaluation method
(includedmultiannualprevisions)
a)Staffexpenditure
Theneedsareestimatedtobe3staffforthisprogramme
1978-1980<3years)
2category Astaff
1category Cstaff
3staff
Inadditiontostaffnumberestimates,theevaluationtake
accountofthedataoftheCouncilDecisionof21.12.1976,
ontheadaptationofsalaryofEuropeanCommunitystaffand
applicablecorrectioncoefficients addingtoit-onahypo­
theticalbasis-possibleneedsoriginating fromthegeneral
evolutionofpricesintheCommunity.
Theratesadoptedarethoseusedforthecalculation ofthe
three-yearforecast1978/1980.Theevaluationofexpenditure
increasesupto1981hasbeenmadeonthebasisofthefol­
lowingindices:1978-108;1979-116;1980-124;1981-132.
.*
b)Contractsexpenditures
Inviewofthenatureofthesubjectandthequalification
ofthecontractors,auniformmethodoftheevaluationcan
notbeestablished .
Inanycase,theAdvisoryCommittee/,
•willbeconsultedontheallocation funds.
Incidence onthefunds:
-Communityincometaxonstaff
-Functionaries contribution forretirement fund-
6.FUNDINGACTION v
6.0.
6.3.Fundstobeincludedinfuture(s)budgetCs)