Uranium mining industry in France. Its position in early 1980

Since 1946, over 130,000 tonnes of uranium at production cost under U.S. $ 130/kg.U. were discovered in France, 30,000 t. of which have been mined. The uranium resources, for the essential part, are contained in the hercynian orogenic axial zone in the form of intragranitic veins or in sediments produced by its dismantling contained in internal basins of this zone or in vast peripheral basins. The future discoveries of ore at production cost under U.S. $ 80 per kg.U., under normal deposit conditions, will be gradually exhausted. Future research should be oriented towards deposits in sectors presumed to be favorable but under opaque dead-overburden and also towards ores at production costs between U.S. $ 80 and U.S. $ 130/kg.U. Prospects of new discoveries are relatively limited in France. Nevertheless, French deposits can play an essential part in home supply. In fact, reprocessing of irradiated fuel and development of fast breeder reactors with maximum uranium saving should maintain consumption at levels under 12,000 t.U. per year in the long run and French deposits would insure more than a third