MINING element in the periodic table . The south-west Greenland carbonatite intrusions nearly all contain thorium which , though not as highly radioactive as uranium , would have influenced rare earth development within these areas , says Stendal . “ When people talk about the ban they always think of uranium but no one takes thorium into account . Yet it is associated with nearly all these deposits .”
The decision to raise the ban did not mean mining could go ahead from that date . Greenland has current regulations for exploitation of minerals within the Minerals Act . The regulatory framework to cover the mining , storage , transportation or exportation of radioactive material needs to be in place before exploitation of radioactive minerals can launch . It will take a couple of years to get it in place . There is plenty of best practice on which to benchmark , notably in Canada and Australia , however the International Atomic Energy Authority ( IAEA ) in Vienna will have to be given oversight of the new regime . There will be a lot of red tape in the process of establishing a new industry , and if only to reassure its own population Greenland is determined to see that all activities are certified safe .
Finally , the change in legislation regarding uranium and other radioactive elements should be seen in the context of the large-scale mining act , passed in December 2012 and amended earlier in 2013 . The act aims to ease the path for large projects the bill set the threshold for a project to qualify as “ large-scale ” at DKK 5 billion ,
GREENLAND MINERALS & ENERGY ( GMEL )
Focused on delivering a world-class production centre for speciality metals from the Ilimaussaq complex in south Greenland the company is setting up a pilot plant and beneficiation circuit . Kvanefjeld is recognised as one of the world ’ s largest resources of rare earth elements , as well as containing substantial resources of uranium and zinc . The company has signed MoUs with Chinese industrial conglomerate NFC , whose subsidiary Guangdong Zhujiang Rare Earths Company is recognised globally as a leader in rare earth separation technology .
Nuuk Lake
www . govmin . gl 95