Ministry turns down French uranium prospecting claim applications

Ministry of Trade and Industry says French company's main aim was to block competitors' access to wide areas of land

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The French mining company Cogema is considering an appeal of Friday’s decision by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to reject the company’s applications for uranium prospecting claims in the Uusimaa region, and in Kolari in Finnish Lapland.
      Cogema representatives in Paris and Finland were surprised that the ministry decided to reject all of the company’s applications.
      There were contradictory signals from the company on Friday as to what it would do in the future. The Cogema communications department in Paris said that the company will not appeal the decision, nor will it submit a new application.
      "Finland’s decision was a disappointment, but the application has been handled, and that’s that. We have licences in other parts of Finland", said Julien Duperray of the Cogema communications department.
      However, the company’s agent in Finland, Osmo Kaipainen, said that the matter is not over.
      "My own view is that because there is a possibility to appeal the decision within 45 days, we have time to consider it", Kaipainen explained.
     
The time for an appeal runs out on March 19th, after which any mining company can submit a new application for the areas in question.
      The Ministry of Trade and Industry said that it rejected Cogema’s claim applications and reports because they were were inadequate.
      The ministry felt that the information included was not sufficient with respect to applications in areas linked with the Natura nature protection programme.
      "My view is that the claims would not have threatened Natura. I will now take a closer look at the decision to turn it down", Kaipainen answered.
     
Cogema’s applications applied to 117 claim areas - totalling 180 square kilometres of land. The ministry feels that the area is far too extensive.
      "Nothing even remotely resembling anything like this has ever been applied for", said Minister of Trade and Industry Mauri Pekkarinen (Centre) at a press conference in Helsinki on Friday.
      "Such extensive areas in the middle of habitation cannot be given to a uranium claim", said ministry official Anja Liukko.
     
According to the ministry, Cogema has "obviously" sought to prevent operations by competitors with its extensive claim application.
      Cogema’s Kaipainen noted that a company that prospects for ore needs a sufficiently large area for making geological observations. He said that if ore is found, the area covered by the claim can be reduced in three or four years.
      Nevertheless, Pekkarinen emphasised that in spite of the rejection, it needs to be possible for countries that produce nuclear energy to produce the raw material uranium.
     
Cogema has been granted 18 permits for uranium prospecting claims in Eno and Kontiolahti in North Karelia. More than 50 people or organisations have urged the Supreme Administrative Court to overturn the permits.
      The world’s largest uranium producers are Canada, Australia, and Nigeria. Cogema is one of the world’s largest uranium producers, and it has operations in dozens of countries.
     
The ministry approved an application by the Canadian company Namura for a prospecting claim in Kuusamo. Strict conditions were linked with the approval. Initially, the company is allowed to conduct radon studies, and nothing else.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Decision expected in January on uranium mining claim applications (22.12.2006)
  Foreign companies eagerly prospecting for uranium in Finland (16.11.2006)
  TV programme investigates French mining company prospecting for uranium in Finland (24.10.2006)
  Farmers and summer residents unite against uranium prospecting (11.10.2006)
  Demonstrators come to Helsinki to protest against uranium exploration rights (4.5.2006)
  Eastern Uusimaa residents grill uranium company about exploration rights (21.2.2006)
  Four foreign mining companies prospect for uranium in Finland (18.1.2006)

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