Uranium dreams
AERIAL VIEW OF THE ZUUVCH-OVOO URANIUM MINE PILOT FACILITY IN MONGOLIA'S GOBI DESERT
THE GOBI DESERT, ONCE REVERED BY MONGOlian poet Dulduityn Danzanravjaa as hiding a cosmic portal to the heavenly kingdom of Shambala, was transformed in the 20th century from spiritual energy center to fossil-fuel hub. Wild rabbits and donkeys share the windswept dunes with rusting oil pumps, while an endless caravan of soot-stained trucks haul coal south to the border with China. Now, the Gobi is on the cusp of another reincarnation, one that its supporters believe could help future-proof the global energy landscape.
In October, the French state-owned nuclear firm Orano signed a $1.7 billion deal to extract and process uranium from the Zuuvch-Ovoo mine, not two hours by car from the landmarked site of Danzanravjaa's cosmic portal.
Mongolia's first uranium mine is expected to produce about 2,750 tons annually for three decades, some 4% of global production; it's currently one of the top 10 unexploited deposits worldwide.
"This deposit is far from the only one," says Olivier Thoumyre, a senior vice president for Orano. "There is huge potential in Mongolia... to enter the uranium market at the right time, because we know needs are going to increase." Mongolia boasts the world's second-largest uranium reserves, which promise to catapult this landlocked nation of 3.5 million into position as a key player in the global renewable-energy transition.
Denne historien er fra May 27, 2024-utgaven av Time.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9500+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 27, 2024-utgaven av Time.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9500+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
LIVING LEGEND
Gypsy star Audra McDonald is now the performer with the most Tony wins and nominations in history
DOWN AND OUT
After the 2024 fiasco, the Democrats are rethinking everything
THE MAN BEHIND THE BOW TIE
In a documentary filmed just before his death, Paul Reubens reflects on the life he led when the cameras weren't rolling
What can you share about growing up in the Amazon and how it has informed your work?
Marina Silva Brazil's Environment and Climate Minister on growing up in the Amazon, hosting this year's U.N. climate talks, and the global retreat of the Trump Administration
THE SHIFT EAST
Once an auto underdog, China's electricvehicle boom now powers its tech rise
A new M:I won't save cinema, but it's fun to watch Tom Cruise try
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE—THE FINAL Reckoning, the eighth film in the franchise and ostensibly its finale, looks, feels, and sounds like the sort of movie you need to see on the big screen.
Wes Anderson returns with a muted Scheme
WES ANDERSON, WHO SPECIALIZES in designing fancifully invented societies, probably doesn’t strike anyone as an angry person.
TIME 100 - Philanthropy
THESE ARE THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE SHAPING THE FUTURE OF GIVING
Germany's bold military push
FOR DECADES, SOME in Europe talked up the need for “collective European defense,” a policy to sharply reduce dependence on Washington for military protection.
Can states do what FEMA was set up to do?
PRESIDENT TRUMP FIRST POSED THE IDEA OF OVERHAUL-ing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) while visiting North Carolina in January in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
