Future U.S. Nuclear Power Plant Uranium Purchases

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (click here to go to its website), U.S. nuclear power plant operators in 2020 purchased 48.9 million pounds of triuranium octoxide (U3O8, from which uranium is obtained).  And 47% of this purchase (22.98 million pounds) was from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan.

As of this date, uranium purchases from Russia have not been sanctioned due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  A good reason for this is that without these imports, U.S. nuclear power plants likely would have a very difficult time finding other vendors to make up the amount of purchases made from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan.  

Two countries, Canada and Australia, are large producers of uranium (in 2020 Canada produced approximately 8.6 million pounds of U3O8 and Australia approximately 13.7 million pounds).  Uranium purchases from Canada and Australia are possible replacements for some of the Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan imports, but probably not enough to replace the Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan imports.  

Another uranium source is increased production by uranium producers in the United States.  However, the U. S. producers would have to greatly increased their production amounts.  In 2020, uranium production in the United States was approximately 13,000 pounds, which is miniscule compared to the amount of U3O8 needed for purchase by U.S. nuclear power plants.  It is not likely that even an increased production in the United States and increased purchases from Canada and Australia could replace any time soon what is currently imported from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Uzbekistan.  This seems to be leaving the United States vulnerable to not meeting its U3O8 purchase needs. 

The continued long-term reliance on Russia (and Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan; two countries with close ties to Russia and likely strongly influenced by Russia) seems to be an uncertain and undesirable reliance, giving unfolding geopolitical situations due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

A conclusion from the above is that increasing the production of U3O8 in the United States makes sense.  Companies producing U3O8 in the United States include Cameco; Encore Energy; Energy Fuels; Laramide Resources; Uranium Energy; and Western Uranium and Vanadium. 

As an added consideration, the Biden 2021-passed infrastructure bill calls for increases in nuclear power production in the United States, likely to further increase the demand for uranium.  This bill’s call for increases in nuclear power production is consistent with a global-wide increased emphasis on using nuclear power to help meet reduction goals in fossil-fuel based energy.  Globally, fifty-two nuclear reactors were under construction during 2021, reflecting this globally increased emphasis on nuclear power (and adding to an increasing global need for U3O8).