Five Years after the UPSAT Mission: Progress and Challenges

Regulating the uranium extraction industry is a complex process which involves multi-regulators with different requirements. The United Republic of Tanzania has had several regulators with little experience in the uranium mining domain. Different items of governmental legislation and regulations lacked clarity and consistency. Overlapping mandates between different government departments complicated the issue, with the operator unsure which laws should be followed. The IAEA Uranium Production Site Appraisal Team (UPSAT) was the answer to a request for assistance in addressing this challenge. UPSAT was first assistance mission of its kind sent to Africa. The mission assessed the following five primary parameters: (i) the regulatory system, (ii) the sustainable uranium production life cycle, (iii) health, safety and environment, (iv) social licensing and (v) capacity building. This paper presents the progress and development made since the UPSAT mission in 2013. (author)