Costs of Uranium Mill Tailings Management

(last updated 20 Dec 2021)

Contents:

• Comparison on an International Basis
  • BMWi 1995
  • NEA/IAEA 2002
• USA: Decommissioning Costs for Title II Sites
• USA: Costs for UMTRA Project (Title I Sites)
  • US DOE Cost Reduction and Productivity Improvement
  • US GAO Review of UMTRA Project

> see also: Unit Converter

> see also: CPI Inflation Calculator (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

Comparison on an International Basis

BMWi 1995

Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft

"The 14 uranium producing countries investigated with regard to rehabilitation costs represent a cumulative uranium production until and including 1992 of approximately 1.14 million tonnes of uranium or nearly 3 billion pounds of uranium oxide (U₃O₈). This corresponds to approx. 63% of the entire cumulative world production of uranium. This production is accompanied by about 1,681 million tonnes of processing residues. 780 million tonnes thereof are related to plants which produced or still produce uranium as a by-product. The accumulated and estimated costs for the decommissioning and rehabilitation of the uranium-producing plants referred to in this study amount to about US$ 3.7 billion (cost basis: 1993). The resulting specific rehabilitation costs are US$ 1.25 per lb of U₃O₈ and US$ 2.20 per tonne of tailings. Omitting plants which produce/produced uranium as by-product of gold and copper production, the specific cost per tonne of milling doubles to nearly US$ 4.00.

These cost values are, however, indicative only because the specific costs for different projects and countries vary widely: They range from a minimum of US$ 0.12 per lb of U₃O₈ (Canada) and US$ 0.12 per tonne of tailings (South Africa), to a maximum of approximately US$ 40 per lb of U₃O₈ (Sweden) and US$ 68 per tonne of tailings (UMTRA Title I Program, USA).

This large range indicates that costs depend on numerous factors having different effects." [...]

Decommissioning and Cleanup Costs of Uranium Producing Projects

Country	Production t U (incl.1992)	Tailings million t	Total Cost million US$ (1993)	Specific Cost
				US$/t tailings	US$/lb U3O8
Australia, total	54,225	98.7	85.10	0.86	0.60
(f)	49,625	18.7	63.30	3.39	0.49
Bulgaria	(d) 21,871	23.0	173.10	7.53	3.04
Canada	257,702	160.6	77.10	0.48	0.12
Czech Republic	(d) 101,901	48.8	433.33	8.88	1.64
France	70,038	31.4	128.45	4.09	0.71
Gabon	21,446	6.5	30.13	4.64	0.54
Germany, total	218,463
West	650	0.2	15.15	75.76	8.97
East	217,813	160.0	7,878.79	49.24	13.91
Hungary	19,970	19.0	78.40	4.13	1.51
Namibia	53,074	350.0	53.20	0.15	0.39
Niger	56,845	17.2	79.87	4.64	0.54
South Africa	143,305	700.0	81.97	0.12	0.22
Spain	1,145	1.2	14.82	12.35	4.98
Sweden	200	1.5	20.98	13.99	40.35
USA, total	(e) 310,000	222.9	2,428.96	10.90	3.01
UMTRA Title I	56,000	31.3	2,140.00	68.37	14.70
UMTRA Title II	254,000	191.6	288.96	1.51	0.44
SUBTOTAL (a)		901.0	3,596.79	3.99
SUBTOTAL (b)		780.0	103.74	0.13
TOTAL	1,141,276	1,681.0	3,700.53	2.20	(c) 1.25

Notes:
(a) from plants where uranium is the only product
(b) from plants where uranium is a by-product of gold and copper production
(c) weighted average
(d) including production from in-situ leaching
(e) excluding non-conventional production (ISL etc.)
(f) without Olympic Dam

NEA/IAEA 2002

Environmental Remediation of Uranium Production Facilities

full book online

> See: Chapter 9. Costs and Funding (p. 103 - 120)

USA: Decommissioning Costs for Title II Sites

Location and Status of Uranium Mills at the End of 1996

Status of Conventional Uranium Mill Sites at the End of 1996 (table - US DOE IDB97)

Estimated Decommissioning Costs for Conventional Uranium Production Facilities (a) as of January 1, 1994 (Thousand Dollars)

Name	Mill Dismantling Costs	Tailings Reclamation Costs	Groundwater Restoration Costs	Indirect Costs	Total Decommiss. Costs
Ambrosia Lake, NM	1,432	12,485	1,183	4,293	19,393
Bear Creek, WY	628	6,635	2,559	2,974	12,796
Cañon City, CO	944	8,123	3,238	530	12,835
Church Rock, NM	709	3,574	2,180	2,134	8,597
Ford, WA	1,000	5,500	5,750	2,500	14,750
Gas Hills (ANC), WY (b)	400	4,800	200	2,000	7,400
Gas Hills (UMETCO), WY	996	8,500	3,735	3,826	17,057
Grants, NM	1,654	6,593	9,972	5,073	23,292
Highland, WY	2,500	5,600	600	900	9,600
L-Bar, NM	709	10,456	729	3,492	15,386
Lisbon, UT	600	5,400	1,600	1,500	9,100
Lucky Mc, WY	565	3,983	2,390	2,253	9,191
Panna Maria, TX	609	5,221	1,700	2,401	9,931
Ray Point, TX	500	1,800	500	1,300	4,100
Shirley Basin, WY	1,094	3,017	603	1,697	6,411
Split Rock, WY	800	10,000	3,614	11,500	25,914
Sweetwater, WY	581	2,776	275	1,426	5,058
Uravan, CO	944	26,751	3,142	7,442	38,279
White Mesa, UT	654	14,656	(c) 0	4,345	19,655
Total	17,319	145,870	43,970	61,586	268,745
Average	912	7,677	2,314	3,241	14,144

Notes:
(a) The following sites did not have complete data and are excluded from this table: Bluewater, Edgemont, Falls City, Moab, Petrotomics, Sherwood, and Shootering.
(b) American Nuclear Corporation.
(c) White Mesa reported "0" for groundwater restoration costs. These costs may have been included under another category. All facilities have at least some groundwater restoration costs.
Source:
Decommissioning of U.S. Uranium Production Facilities. U.S. DOE Energy Information Administration, Report No. DOE/EIA-0592, February 1995.
Available by FTP- Download (681k, PDF format).

Mill Tailings Reclamation Summary as of January 1, 1994

Mill (a)	Tailings Area (Acre)	Tailings Tonnages (Thousand Tons)	Tailings Reclamation Costs (b) (Thousand Dollars)	Total Decommiss. Costs (b) (Thousand Dollars)	Tailings Cost (b) per Ton (Dollars)	Total Decommiss. Costs (b) per Ton (Dollars)	Tailings Cost (b) per Acre (Dollars)	Tailings Tons per Acre
Ambrosia Lake, NM	328	33,180	12,485	19,393	0.38	0.58	38,064	101,159
Bear Creek, WY	150	4,740	6,635	12,796	1.40	2.70	44,233	31,600
Cañon City, CO	165	2,315	8,123	(b) 12,835	3.51	5.54	49,230	14,030
Church Rock, NM	100	3,527	3,574	8,597	1.01	2.44	35,740	35,270
Ford, WA	133	3,086	5,500	14,750	1.78	4.78	41,353	23,203
Gas Hills (ANC), WY (c)	117	5,842	4,800	7,400	0.82	1.27	41,026	49,932
Gas Hills (UMETCO), WY	146	8,047	8,500	17,057	1.06	2.12	58,219	55,116
Grants, NM	215	22,377	6,593	23,292	0.29	1.04	30,665	104,079
Highland, WY	290	11,354	5,600	9,600	0.49	0.85	19,310	39,152
L-Bar, NM	115	2,094	10,456	15,386	4.99	7.35	90,922	18,209
Lisbon, UT	35	3,858	5,400	9,100	1.40	2.36	154,286	110,229
Lucky Mc, WY	248	11,685	3,983	9,191	0.34	0.79	16,060	47,117
Panna Maria, TX	250	6,504	5,221	9,931	0.80	1.55	20,884	26,016
Ray Point, TX	45	441	1,800	4,100	4.08	9.30	40,000	9,800
Shirley Basin, WY	263	8,157	3,017	6,411	0.37	0.80	11,471	31,015
Split Rock, WY	167	7,716	10,000	25,914	1.30	3.36	59,880	46,204
Sweetwater, WY	300	2,315	2,776	5,058	1.20	2.18	9,253	7,717
Uravan, CO	85	10,472	26,751	38,279	2.55	2.66	314,718	123,200
White Mesa, UT	333	3,527	14,656	19,655	4.16	5.57	44,012	10,592
Total	3,485	151,237	145,870	268,745
Average	183	7,960	7,677	14,144	0.97	1.78	41,857	43,397

Notes:
(a) The following sites did not have complete data and are excluded from this table: Bluewater, Edgemont, Falls City, Moab, Petrotomics, Sherwood, and Shootering.
(b) All costs are estimated.
(c) American Nuclear Corporation.
Note: Totals may not equal sum of components because of independent rounding.
1 acre = 4046.8 m²
1 (short) ton = 907.185 kg

Source:
Decommissioning of U.S. Uranium Production Facilities. U.S. DOE Energy Information Administration, Report No. DOE/EIA-0592, February 1995.
Available by FTP- Download (681k, PDF format).

Title X of the Energy Policy Act of 1992: Uranium/Thorium Reimbursement Program
Federal Reimbursement for Costs of Remedial Action at Active Uranium and Thorium Processing Sites

Status of Payments through Fiscal Year 2001 and Estimated Future Payments - Uranium (dollars in thousands) - excerpt -

Licensee	Site	Federal reimbur- sement ratio e)	Total Payments FY 1994 - FY 2001	Estimated Payments: FY 2001 through End of Program. b)
- American Nuclear Corporation	Gas Hills, WY	0.365	807	20
- State of Wyoming			1,218	626
Atlantic Richfield Company	Bluewater, NM	0.370	32,306	0
Atlas Corporation/Moab Mill Reclamation Trust. d)	Moab, UT	0.561	8,903	789
Cotter Corporation	Cañon City, CO	0.143	2,391	736
Dawn Mining Company	Ford, WA	0.378	3,124	4,740
Homestake Mining Company	Grants, NM	0.512	35,540	17,410
Pathfinder Mines Corporation	Lucky Mc, WY	0.243	7,532	1,167
Petrotomics Company	Shirley Basin, WY	0.115	2,392	516
Quivira Mining Company	Ambrosia Lake, NM	0.302	14,249	6,844
Tennessee Valley Authority	Edgemont, SD	0.813	12,334	3,795
Umetco Minerals Corporation	Uravan, CO	0.543	43,270	13,313
	East Gas Hills, WY	0.263	13,568	7,305
Western Nuclear, Incorporated	Split Rock, WY	0.435	27,521	4,177
Sub-total, Uranium		0.552	205,155	61,438

^b) These amounts are estimates of future claims provided by the licensees in early 2001.
^d) Effective December 30, 1999, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission transferred the license from the Atlas Corporation to a newly created trust approved by a bankruptcy court. In FY 2000 and FY 2001, Title X payments were made to the trust. The license was terminated and DOE assumed title to the site in October 2001. The current trust is expected to be dissolved in early CY 2002, and a new trust will be formed and will be eligible for reimbursement of the remaining claim amount that is scheduled for approval in April 2002. That will be the final Title X liability for the Moab site.
^e) the portion of costs of remedial action attributable to byproduct material generated as an incident of sales to the United States

Sources:
FY 2003 Congressional Budget, Environmental Management/Uranium Facilities Maintenance and Remediation Appropriation Language (132k PDF)
Federal Register: May 23, 1994: 10 CFR Part 765, Reimbursement for Costs of Remedial Action at Active Uranium and Thorium Processing Sites; Final Rule and Notice

USA: Costs for UMTRA Project (Title I Sites)

U.S. Uranium Production Facilities: Operating History and Remediation Cost Under Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project as of 2000

• Summary Table: Uranium Ore Processed, Disposal Cell Material, and Cost for Remediation as of December 31, 1999

Locations and Status of UMTRAP sites (map - US DOE IDB97)

Estimated cost and cancer deaths prevented by the UMTRA project based on FY98 federal UMTRA budget

Site	Tailings [million t] (a)	Cleanup cost [US$ million]	Specific cost [US$/t tailings]	Deaths prevented in 100 years	Cost per death prevented in 100 years [US$ million]
Grand Junction, CO	4.2	256.3	61	588	0.44
Salt Lake City, UT	3.3	75.0	23	313	0.24
Rifle, CO	3.8	94.9	25	40	2.4
Durango, CO	3.1	63.1	20	22	2.8
Canonsburg, PA	0.32	35.8	112	15.0	2.4
Gunnison, CO	1.0	63.2	63	6.5	9.7
Riverton, WY	2.2	45.6	21	5.6	8.1
Falls City, TX	6.7	56.7	8.5	2.3	25
Shiprock, NM	3.4	22.9	6.7	2.0	11
Tuba City, AZ	2.0	34.9	17	1.9	18
Mexican Hat, UT	3.1	53.2	17	1.3	41
Naturita, CO	0.7	59.8	85	0.91	66
Lakeview, OR	1.2	32.6	27	0.27	120
Ambrosia Lake, NM	3.3	39.0	12	0.086	450
Monument Valley, AZ	1.3	23.3	18	0.016	1,500
Lowman, ID	0.15	14.9	99	0.013	1,100
Green River, UT	0.46	21.5	47	0.007	3,100
Slick Rock, CO	0.8	53.1	66	0.003	18,000
Maybell, CO	3.9	39.1	10	0.003	13,000
Spook, WY	0.38	10.3	27	0.002	5,200
Site totals	45.31	1,105.2	24	999	1.1
Vicinity properties		345.2		290	1.2
Grand totals		1,450.4		1,289	1.1

^(a) calculated from volume using density of 1.6
t = metric tonne
Sources:
Mark L. Miller, Robert E. Cornish, and C. Beth Pomatto: Calculation of the Number of Cancer Deaths Prevented by the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project, in: Health Physics, Vol. 76, No. 5, (May 1999), p. 544-546. Decommissioning Data - USA

> See also: Risk Reduction and Cost-Effectiveness in the UMTRA Project , by Robert E. Cornish, Mark L. Miller, C. Beth Pomatto; Waste Management Symposium, Tucson, Arizona, 1997

US DOE Cost Reduction and Productivity Improvement:

National Performance Review 1994

The Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project Office at DOE's Albuquerque Operations Office has saved or avoided costs of $59 million since instituting its Cost Reduction/Productivity Improvement Program (CR/PIP) in 1988.

US GAO Review of UMTRA Project

full text

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Department of Energy's (DOE) program for cleaning up uranium mill tailings, focusing on: (1) the status and cost of DOE surface and groundwater cleanups; and (2) factors that could affect the federal government's costs and liabilities in the future.

GAO noted that:

1. DOE intends to complete the cleanup of surface and groundwater contamination sites by 2014, at a cost of more than $2.4 billion;
2. out of 24 sites, surface cleanup is complete at 15, under way at 7, and idle at 2;
3. surface cleanup costs total around $2 billion to date and may be completed in 1998 at an additional cost of $300 million;
4. DOE postponed its groundwater cleanup until 1991 because of its focus on surface cleanup and a delay in the Environmental Protection Agency's final groundwater standards;
5. DOE has not reached an agreement with any of the affected states or tribes to develop cleanup strategies or financial support;
6. DOE will need another $147 million to clean up the affected groundwater sites;
7. the costs and completion dates of the cleanups depend on whether DOE keeps a disposal site open to dispose of future unearthed tailings and whether states contribute 10 percent of the groundwater cleanup expenses; and
8. the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not updated the minimum charge for owners of Title II sites to reflect the cost of basic surveillance and maintenance.

Uranium Mill Tailings: Status and Future Costs of Cleanup, Testimony, February 28, 1996, GAO/T-RCED-96- 85. (Statement of Bernice Steinhardt, Associate Director, Energy, Resources, and Science Issues, Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division, before the Subcommittee on Energy and Power, Committee on Commerce, House of Representatives)
> download full text

GAO reviewed the status and cost of the Department of Energy's (DOE) uranium mill tailings cleanup program and the factors that could affect future costs. GAO found that:

1. if DOE completes its surface cleanup program in 1998, it will have cost $2.3 billion, taken 8 years longer than expected, and be $621 million over budget;
2. DOE cleanup costs increased because there were more contaminated sites than originally anticipated, some sites had more contamination than others, changes were needed to respond to state and local concerns;
3. the future costs of the uranium mill tailings cleanup will largely depend on the remediation methods used and the willingness of states to share in the final cleanup costs; and
4. the Nuclear Regulatory Commission needs to ensure that enough funds are collected from private site owners to protect U.S. taxpayers from future cleanup costs.

DOE Cleanup: Status and Future Costs of Uranium Mill Tailings Program, by Bernice Steinhardt, Associate Director for Energy, Resources, and Science Issues, before the Subcommittee on Energy and Environment, House Committee on Science. GAO/T-RCED-96-167, May 1, 1996.
> download full text

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