Released May 14, 2019 | SUGAR LAND
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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Uranium production in the United States last year was at its lowest level since 1950, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) said recently.
Industrial Info is tracking 25 U.S. uranium mining projects worth more than $3 billion. However, at least two of those projects, worth more than $1 billion, involve tailings remedial action and a Superfund site cleanup. Also, 22 of the projects with a combined worth of about $2 billion have a low probability of moving forward as planned.
Globally, Industrial Info is tracking more than 50 uranium mining projects worth nearly $5.8 billion that have a medium or high probability of moving forward as planned. Western Canada is in the lead, with more than $2.5 billion worth of project activity.
Click on the image at right for a graph showing high- and medium-probability global uranium project activity by market region.
The U.S. produced 1.47 million pounds of uranium concentrate in 2018, according to preliminary EIA data, down for the fourth consecutive year. Uranium production in the U.S. has fallen since its peak of 43.7 million pounds in 1980 and has remained below 5 million pounds annually for more than 20 years, according to the EIA's May 6 Today in Energy report.
As a consequence, owners and operators of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants have obtained more uranium from foreign sources, with Canada as the largest single source of imported uranium, followed by Australia, Russia and Kazakhstan.
In 2018, uranium concentrate was produced at seven U.S. facilities: one uranium mill in Utah and six in-situ leach plants in Wyoming and Nebraska, the EIA said.
In April, Reuters reported that the U.S. Department of Commerce had submitted to the White House the results of a national security probe into uranium imports. The Commerce Department declined to discuss the recommendations because they are confidential, according to Reuters. President Donald Trump had up to 90 days to act on the report's recommendations.
The investigation was launched in July 2018, with the Department of Commerce citing the potential impact on national security. The department listed several considerations that prompted the investigation, noting that uranium-powered U.S. commercial nuclear reactors produced 20% of the electricity for the U.S. grid. Also, uranium is a key component in the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and powers the Navy's nuclear fleet. For more information, see July 19, 2018, article - U.S. Commerce Probe of Uranium Imports Could Help Revive Domestic Production.
The investigation follows a petition filed early last year by two Denver, Colorado-based uranium companies, Ur-Energy Incorporated and Energy Fuels Incorporated. The companies had proposed their own remedies to the situation: a quota that limits imports of uranium into the U.S. and reserves 25% of the U.S. market for domestic uranium, and a requirement for U.S. federal utilities and agencies to buy U.S. uranium.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.
Industrial Info is tracking 25 U.S. uranium mining projects worth more than $3 billion. However, at least two of those projects, worth more than $1 billion, involve tailings remedial action and a Superfund site cleanup. Also, 22 of the projects with a combined worth of about $2 billion have a low probability of moving forward as planned.
Globally, Industrial Info is tracking more than 50 uranium mining projects worth nearly $5.8 billion that have a medium or high probability of moving forward as planned. Western Canada is in the lead, with more than $2.5 billion worth of project activity.
The U.S. produced 1.47 million pounds of uranium concentrate in 2018, according to preliminary EIA data, down for the fourth consecutive year. Uranium production in the U.S. has fallen since its peak of 43.7 million pounds in 1980 and has remained below 5 million pounds annually for more than 20 years, according to the EIA's May 6 Today in Energy report.
As a consequence, owners and operators of U.S. commercial nuclear power plants have obtained more uranium from foreign sources, with Canada as the largest single source of imported uranium, followed by Australia, Russia and Kazakhstan.
In 2018, uranium concentrate was produced at seven U.S. facilities: one uranium mill in Utah and six in-situ leach plants in Wyoming and Nebraska, the EIA said.
In April, Reuters reported that the U.S. Department of Commerce had submitted to the White House the results of a national security probe into uranium imports. The Commerce Department declined to discuss the recommendations because they are confidential, according to Reuters. President Donald Trump had up to 90 days to act on the report's recommendations.
The investigation was launched in July 2018, with the Department of Commerce citing the potential impact on national security. The department listed several considerations that prompted the investigation, noting that uranium-powered U.S. commercial nuclear reactors produced 20% of the electricity for the U.S. grid. Also, uranium is a key component in the U.S. nuclear arsenal, and powers the Navy's nuclear fleet. For more information, see July 19, 2018, article - U.S. Commerce Probe of Uranium Imports Could Help Revive Domestic Production.
The investigation follows a petition filed early last year by two Denver, Colorado-based uranium companies, Ur-Energy Incorporated and Energy Fuels Incorporated. The companies had proposed their own remedies to the situation: a quota that limits imports of uranium into the U.S. and reserves 25% of the U.S. market for domestic uranium, and a requirement for U.S. federal utilities and agencies to buy U.S. uranium.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, six offices in North America and 12 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com.
