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Phosphate Processor Gearing Up To Extract Uranium Within 4 Years

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By TED JACKOVICS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 6, 2007

TAMPA - CF Industries expects to hire from 30 to 35 full-time employees and anticipates an annual payroll and benefits of $2.2 million for a proposed uranium extraction facility it's planning to build near Plant City, a company official said Wednesday.

CF expects uranium extraction to begin in three to four years, said Stefan Katzaras, senior community affairs specialist for the Long Grove, Ill.-based phosphate mining company.

The company estimates it will cost about $200 million to build the new facility. That figure includes $50 million in construction wages, Katzaras said.
CF Industries operates a phosphate mine in Hardee County that ships material to the Plant City facility where phosphate is processed to produce fertilizer. Phosphate contains minute amounts of uranium that some mining companies extract and sell to the nuclear power industry.

The price of uranium has risen to $90 a pound on the spot market, up from $10 a pound three years ago. Earlier this year it hit $130 a pound. As a result of the price run-up, CF decided it was economically feasible to extract uranium from the phosphate-laden earth and sell it through a partner to nuclear energy facilities.

The company, which employs 700 in West Central Florida, released additional details of the project Wednesday as it prepares to begin seeking state and county permits to build and operate the extraction facility.

The new facility will be able to produce about 900,000 pounds of uranium a year, enough to offset energy production from 27.9 million barrels of oil or 9 million tons of coal annually, the company said.

The recovered uranium poses no security concerns, CF Industries said. The yellow cake produced at the Plant City plant, located about 12 miles north of the city, must be processed out-of-state to be suitable for power generation.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817 or tjackovics@tampatrib.com.

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