THE NUMBERS: Uranium production 2008 (in metric tons)

WORLD 44,000 tons
Canada 9,000 tons
Kazakhstan 8,500
Australia 8,400
Namibia 4,400
Russia 3,500
Other 7,600

WHAT THEY MEAN:

Last year's U.S.-Indian civil nuclear agreement, this week's revival of U.S.-Russian nuclear policy discussion, and the world's need for low-emissions energy all suggest a globe becoming more interested in and reliant upon nuclear power. Some basics on the uranium business today:

Nuclear energy experts count 436 operating nuclear power stations around the world, producing eight percent of the world's electricy and 20 percent of America's. To power them, producer countries ship about 65,000 tons of uranium around the world each year. The main miners are large countries with small populations and small nuclear power industries. Canada, Australia, Kazakhstan and Namibia account for 70 percent of annual uranium production; but of the four, only Canada has any nuclear power plants. Canada exports about 85% of its uranium, while Australia and Kazakhstan export almost all their production. The big buyers, naturally enough, are the main nuclear energy users. Though China and India are coming up fast, operating 28 plants and building 20 of the 47 plants now under construction, the main nuclear-power users and uranium buyers remain the US, EU and Japan. Together they operate 302 nuclear power stations; in 2007, EU members imported 21,932 tons, Americans 19,609 tons, and Japanese about 9,000.

Together with shipments of higher-activity materials meant for uses in medicine, the military and elsewhere, this means about twenty million consignments of radioactive material move around the world every year. To keep it all safe, two goals:

• Keep the stuff out of the wrong hands. Here the International Atomic Energy Agency, a 146-country branch of the United Nations, meshes with the 46-country Nuclear Suppliers Group, including most of the countries which ship and buy radioactive material. IAEA oversees trade through agreements signed by individual member states, which give the IAEA all information about locations involved in the nuclear fuel cycle. The NSG, "which seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of Guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear related exports," is meant to ensure that trade in nuclear fuels is limited to participants in the Non-Proliferation Treaty and goes only for peaceful use. About 98 percent of uranium comes from and goes to NSG members.



• Transport it safely to prevent any radioactive releases. Under IAEA guidance, radioactive material is shipped only in specialized containers; when at sea, it typically travels in purpose-built ships solely devoted to transporting radioactive material. Medium-level goods travel in Type A, B or C containers. Each level of container is designed to be sufficiently robust to withstand accidents. Types B and C, which transport higher-activity material, are heavy and specially engineered metal casks built to withstand extreme conditions and maintain its shielding. No Type B or C container has ever leaked or been breached.

All major producers and buyers of radioactive goods are member nations of the IAEA -- North Korea has withdrawn, but is not buying (at least legally) on the international market -- and all but India are signatory nations to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. All major producers of uranium but Namibia, Niger and Uzbekistan are Nuclear Suppliers Group members; all the main buyers but India have joined as well. Last year's U.S.-India agreement on civil nuclear power created a special condition, based on an Indian safeguards arrangement with the IAEA, which allows India to participate in civil nuclear trade. Monday's summit statement suggests some new ideas, announcing cooperation between the U.S. and Russia to encourage use of low-enriched uranium in civil nuclear power in "third countries."

FURTHER READING:

From the summit -- an Obama-Medvedev statement on nuclear weapons and civil energy policy: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/
Joint-Statement-by-President-Barack-Obama
-of-the-United-States-of-America-and-President-
Dmitry-Medvedev-of-the-Russian-Federation-on-Nuclear-Cooperation/

The World Nuclear Association lists operating and planned nuclear power stations by country: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/
reactors.html

... summarizes regulations on transport of radioactive materials; about five percent of such transport concerns the fuel cycle: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf20.html

... and maps current estimates of uranium deposits. Likely well under actual totals, the estimate suggests that about a quarter of the world's uranium reserves are in Australia, with Kazakhstan, Russia, South Africa, and Canada combining for another 40 percent: http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf75.html

Uraniumresources.com tracks exports of mined uranium plus the secondary sources - e.g. old weapons -- which produce about a third of the uranium used in the global fuel cycle: http://www.uraniumresources.com/

The IAEA's safety & security page: http://www.iaea.org/OurWork/
SS/index.html

The Nuclear Suppliers' Group guidelines: http://www.nuclearsuppliersgroup.org/Leng/02-guide.htm

Australia's uranium export policies, which include provisions to keep IAEA oversight of all Australian nuclear materials for the length of its life: http://www.dfat.gov.au/security/aus_uran_exp_policy.html

And the American Chemical Society's interactive periodic table -- Uranium, with density 18.95 g/cm2 (about the same as gold) and melting point 1135 C is at atomic number 92: http://acswebcontent.acs.org/
games/pt.html

Note: Research and drafting for this Fact by DLC summer research associate Meryl Federman.