THORIUM AS AN ENERGY SOURCE - Opportunities for Norway ...

Thorium Resources in Norway
A series of thorium bearing minerals has been identified at different sites in Norway. Lindahl
(2007) has collated present knowledge on the grades (wt%) and volumes of the identified thorium
resources, as shown in Table 3.2. The grades vary from rather low (0.2 wt%) in Nordland to
relatively high (0.4 wt%) in the Fen Complex. The volume estimates are, however, highly
uncertain and in most cases not known. The Fen Complex has been considered as the most
promising resource, with an estimated volume of about 170 000 tonnes referred to as reserve and
150 000 tonnes referred to as reserve base (US Geological Survey). The scientific basis for these
old estimates of the Fen resources is somewhat unclear. These estimates have not been confirmed
by the Geological Survey of Norway. Therefore, the volume given for the Fen Complex is referred
to as “large”, indicating that further investigations are needed to confirm the old estimates [12].
Table 3.2: Thorium (Th) Resources in Norway (Location, Concentration and Amount).
Location of the Resource
Grade of Thorium
(wt%)
Stokkøy/Arøy, Vestfold 0.2 ?
Sæteråsen, Vestfold 0.05 8
Volume
Høgtuva, Nordland 0.02 0.5 (+)
Ødegården, Aust Agder 0.1 ?
Ytterøya, Nord-Trøndelag 0.2 ?
Fen (iron ore), Telemark 0.2 - 0.4 ?
Fen (iron-rich), Telemark 0.1 - 0.2 Large
(Million Tonnes)
To conclude the discussion above, Norway has potential thorium resources that through more
detailed investigations and the development in mineral processing can qualify to be a reserve.
Already in 1895, about 2000 kg of thorite was produced during 1 year at Kragerø. The Fen
Complex is considered as the most promising resource, and the thorium enriched carbonatite of
the Fen Complex represents so far a "chemical reserve". However, most information available on
the thorium resources in Norway is based on limited studies performed from the 1960s to the
1980s and knowledge of the grade and associated volumes is scarce and uncertain. Thus,
thorough investigations of the resources, not only in the Fen Complex, but also at other sites in
Norway, as well as mineralogical and mineral separation studies should be performed to decide
whether thorium in Norwegian rocks can be exploited and thereby qualify to be a reserve.
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