The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has launched an investigation into the presence of undeclared uranium in cobalt ore exported from the country. This move comes after a study published in Nature Communications, and subsequent reporting by the Financial Times and Lighthouse Reports, revealed that between 2,000 and 5,000 metric tons of natural uranium were likely exported from the DRC embedded in cobalt hydroxide shipments between 2000 and 2024. This quantity is significant enough to fuel a gigawatt nuclear reactor for a decade or more, or potentially produce fissile material for 600 to 1,500 nuclear weapons.
The investigation was prompted by concerns from international atomic energy bodies and growing evidence of uranium contamination in cobalt, a critical mineral for electric vehicle batteries, with approximately 95% of Congolese cobalt going to China for refining. Officials in the DRC have acknowledged the seriousness of the issue, citing both health risks to miners and communities, and concerns over nuclear materials safeguarding. The head of the DRC's nuclear energy agency, Steve Muanza, stated it is "technically possible" and "likely" that Chinese companies are extracting uranium from cobalt ore.
The problem stems from the natural co-occurrence of uranium with cobalt ores in the DRC's Copperbelt. While there are strict national and international limits on uranium content, and measures for radioactivity testing on paper, these have not been consistently applied in practice. Internal documents from Tenke Fungurume Mining (TFM), a major cobalt mine, showed cobalt samples with uranium levels as high as 1,100 parts per million (ppm) in December 2016, far exceeding allowed export levels. Less than 10% of this exported uranium was declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The researchers and experts involved are advocating for an immediate national audit of mining in the DRC, systematic assay measurements of cobalt shipments, and the implementation of new rules for separating uranium from the cobalt supply chain before export. There are also calls for improved accounting of uranium extraction, worker radiation monitoring, and surveillance mechanisms to ensure environmental responsibility. The ultimate goal for some is for cobalt to be refined into metal within the DRC to prevent undeclared uranium exports.
