The commissioning of the Demonstration Plant is a significant milestone as Bannerman continues to progress the development of the Etango Project. The operation of the Demonstration Plant, an integral step of the detailed engineering and financing phases, specifically enables:
- Demonstrating the design and projected performance reflected in the Definitive Feasibility Study,
- Maintaining and building project knowledge, and
- Pursuing value engineering.
Bannerman's Chief Executive Office, Len Jubber, said:
"The commissioning of the Demonstration Plant coincides with the Chinese government approving construction of two more units at the Hongyanhe nuclear power plant in Liaoning province, marking the first approval for new reactors in four years.
China, currently the largest constructor of new reactors clearly continues to ramp up its nuclear energy program in line with its stated goal of increasing electricity generated from nuclear plants from 21 GW currently to 58 GW by 2020 and 150 GW by 2030. In terms of reactors, China now has 24 reactors in operation, 25 under construction and 189 on order, planned or proposed.
In the face of this growing demand, Bannerman's advancing Etango Project remains one of the very few globally significant uranium projects that can realistically be brought into production in the medium term".
Len Jubber, Chief Executive Officer