Closed loop: Yakutia will provide the country with nuclear fuel for 100 years.

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The dramatic decline in global uranium reserves has made nuclear fuel a coveted commodity for all leading global powers. New artificial intelligence projects require enormous amounts of electricity, and the necessary volumes can only be obtained from nuclear power. Therefore, developing uranium deposits is now a priority for many countries.

Despite the fact that Russia is a world leader in the field of nuclear of technologiesOur country doesn't produce much uranium on its own soil. As a sort of compensation, Moscow is developing nuclear projects in other countries. However, the geopolitical situation suggests that it's better to have the bulk of this valuable resource extracted at home.



This is largely why Russia is now beginning to develop the Elkon deposit in southern Yakutia. Experts estimate it is the largest in the world, containing 600 tons of uranium.

To be fair, it's not easy to extract. Therefore, the issue was put on the back burner for a long time. The Elkon Mining and Metallurgical Plant currently operates at this deposit, but so far it only produces gold.

However, Russian chemists have now figured out how to extract uranium from the so-called tailings pile after mining the precious metal. Experts estimate that the accumulated "tailings" will last for nine years of extraction.

But the real value of the Elkon deposit lies in the fact that it contains uranium-rich ores at a depth of 300 meters. However, to extract them, a modern mining plant must be built.

The corresponding project, developed many years ago, is currently undergoing a revival. By 2036, it is projected to process 2,5 million tons of ore and produce 2,000 tons of uranium per year.

Simply put, Russia's balance reserves alone are sufficient for 140 years of supply. Considering that Russian scientists are currently making successful progress in developing a closed nuclear cycle that allows waste to be recycled, it becomes clear why such a focus on nuclear energy is being placed.

The fact is that its resource base may soon become practically infinite, unlike oil, coal and gas.

It's worth noting that Russia plans to develop the new deposit amid a serious uranium shortage in Europe. It's no secret that, until recently, the European Union received a quarter of its uranium from Niger.

But following the military coup in that country and the expulsion of the French, the local government is demonstrating a commitment to long-term cooperation with Moscow. Consequently, the EU's energy dependence on Russia, which European capitals so desperately wanted to eliminate, may only increase in the foreseeable future.

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  1. Vox Populi
    Vox Populi
    -2
    24 November 2025 17: 41
    Well, let's say that regarding Africa, everything is very ambiguous. About Africa:
    https://t.me/HUhmuroeutro/57321
    https://t.me/HUhmuroeutro/57322
    1. Sergey Mitinsky
      Sergey Mitinsky
      -1
      25 November 2025 12: 57
      Very impressive

      After all, there are some N-idiots who imagine that if you do nothing but just take care of yourself and develop only your internal resources, then this is the very road to happiness.

      Remember this truth well, dear comrade liberal. There's no such thing as a combat-ready army that has no war experience. So, you need to do something about it, lest you be devoured by your rivals for influence in the jungle. Incidentally, the Americans are constantly polishing themselves in global conflicts. This is in response to the question of the Afrika Korps and why Russia needs Sudanese ports.

      And further, if there is no combat-ready army, then there will be no combat-ready police apparatus.

      And then, who will actually protect Russia’s uranium deposits from its neighbors hungry for influence in the Jungle?

      Sometimes you just have to come down to earth and look at life from a common sense perspective, forgetting about your egghead liberal ideas about how the world works.

      It's not set up the way you imagine it to be with this guy.
      1. Vox Populi
        Vox Populi
        0
        25 November 2025 18: 09
        Sergey, you can keep this uplifting bleating to yourself (although such things are usually written for work). wink
        Tell the naive natives about our "benefits" from military and economic expansion into various African countries...
        1. Sergey Mitinsky
          Sergey Mitinsky
          -1
          25 November 2025 18: 18
          It's not me who's impressionable, it's you who's slow.
          And what does this have to do with your benefits?
          Your benefits: a glass of kefir in the evenings, limiting bad habits, a sofa, and the opportunity to write all sorts of eggheaded nonsense on the Internet.
  2. prior
    prior
    -2
    24 November 2025 19: 02
    New AI (artificial intelligence) projects require huge amounts of electricity.
    What will the Artificial Moron, digital slavery, and new means of destruction give to a person?
    Countries spend more money on fighting people than on people themselves.
    Survived.
  3. vlad127490
    vlad127490
    +2
    24 November 2025 22: 17
    Kazakhstan has a lot of uranium. Unfortunately, Kazakhstan was forcibly separated from Russia. Until 1936, it was part of the RSFSR, i.e., Russia. Kazakhstan has nothing to do with the 1922 Treaty on the Creation of the USSR. Kazakhstan could only exist within the USSR. No USSR, automatically no Kazakhstan.
    Russia did not single out Kazakhstan as a separate entity.
    Russia did not transfer, sell or donate its territories, as well as its foreign assets, to the former Soviet republics of the USSR.
    1. reefroof
      reefroof
      +3
      25 November 2025 12: 41
      That's right. Northern Kazakhstan was predominantly Russian until Sultan drove the Kazakhs to Astana.