CHITA, August 11. /ITAR-TASS/. Managers of Russia's biggest uranium production plant based in the Baikal region have described as "strange" Australia’s warning that it might ban deliveries of uranium ore to Russia, press service chief of the Russian uranium producer told ITAR-TASS on Monday.
"Threats to ban uranium ore deliveries to Russia is as strange as banning oil, gas or coal deliveries. Russia has enough resources of its own," Yuri Murashko, head of the press service of the Priargunsky Industrial Mining and Chemical Union, said.
"This year Russia has additionally begun developing the Streltsov ore deposit in the south-east of the Baikal region, which belongs to the biggest group of uranium and molybdenum deposits in Russia," he said.
"According to preliminary estimates, this field has proved positive for at least 16 perspective ore deposits. Given modern development technologies, the overall stock in the Streltsov field is enough to last for 250 years at the least," Murashko said.
The Priargunsky mining and chemical enterprise, established in 1968, is one of the biggest ore producers in the world. In 2013, its output was estimated at more than 2,000 tons, which was 6.49% up its production in the previous year.
Australian Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop declared Saturday that the Australian government might ban uranium sale to Russia in line with another spiral of broadening western sanctions against Russia.