Canada's status as the second largest producer and exporter of uranium globally has underscored the importance of updating the CIM MRMR Committee's Uranium Leading Practice Guidelines. These updates are essential to ensure that industry practices align with current production methods, such as in-situ recovery (ISR). Courtesy of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The CIM Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves (MRMR) Committee has updated its Uranium Leading Practice Guidelines for the first time in more than two decades. The new guidelines, approved in late November by CIM Council, expand on the original document, which was published in 2003, and are intended as a complement to CIM’s Mineral Resource Mineral Reserves Best Practice Guidelines.   

The committee recognized the need for additional guidance on uranium due to the grade information that can be gathered from its radioactive properties and the need for more guidance pertaining to deposits amenable to in-situ recovery (ISR).   

Al Renaud, a professional geoscientist and chair of the CIM Uranium Leading Practice Guidelines subcommittee, noted that although the 2003 guidelines covered ISR, at the time, this method was not as prevalent or important to global production as it is today. 

“[ISR] makes up the majority of uranium production and is significantly different than conventional underground or open-pit mining methods in that the uranium is solubilized in place and pumped to the surface,” Renaud explained in an interview with CIM Magazine.  

Clear guidelines are important for uranium for a number of reasons, explained Renaud. The type of data collected and the methods used to estimate mineral resources and mineral reserves can vary depending on how the uranium is ultimately extracted. He added that the updated guidelines are particularly timely as the increasing global demand for electricity has led to a resurgence in nuclear power, a reliable source of carbon-free energy. 

“We are seeing significantly more activity in the uranium exploration and mining sectors,” Renaud said in a follow-up email to CIM Magazine. “We hope the guidelines will help practitioners, and that key components are factored in and/or given consideration as part of their estimation processes.” Renaud added that uranium’s radioactive nature allows unique opportunities in the collection of grade data, but it also presents additional environmental, health and safety challenges that need to be considered. 

Refreshing the guidelines took the committee a little over two years to finalize. Renaud explained that during this time, the committee, which comprised six individuals with backgrounds in uranium mining, exploration and consulting, met about once a month. Several authors from the 2003 Uranium Guidelines contributed to the update. 

The updated guidelines are available through mrmr.cim.org and OneMine.org.