The Nuclear Fuel Cycle
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FCIX2008 ExpansionExpansion ofof WorldWorld TWFN Auditorium FuelFuel CycleCycle FacilitiesFacilities NRC 17 June 2008 Steve Kidd, Director of Strategy & Research 2 The nuclear fuel cycle Conversion Mining Enrichment Uranium Fuel Plutonium fabrication Waste Reprocessing Nuclear Power Plant 3 Cost of 1 kg of enriched uranium Uranium 9 kg U308 $25 per lb 495 Conversion 7.6 kg U $13 per kg 99 Enrichment 7 SWU $135 per SWU 945 Fabrication 1 kg $300 per kg 300 Total $1839 Need about 20 tonnes of enriched uranium for an average large reactor refuel, so cost will be about $40 million Total front end world market is now worth about $15 billion annually 4 Will the future look like this? Help, we need Sorry, more! we are out of material. 5 6 supply WNA worldreactorsandreference case 100000 120000 140000 160000 20000 40000 60000 80000 0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Requirements Lower Requirements Reference Requirements Upper Primary Uranium Reference HEU Downblended Reference DOE Sales,Reference DOE Tails Re-enrichment, Reference Western &Reference TailsRe-enrichment Russia, Lower Reference & Upper Recycling, Russian LEU Export Reduction Inventory Reference & Upperr Ex-Military Lower& MOX, Reference 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 WNA implied requirement for primary uranium production 160000 140000 120000 100000 tonnes U80000 60000 40000 20000 7 0 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Requirements Lower minus Secondary Upper Requirements Reference minus Secondary Upper Requirements201 Upper5 minus Secondary Upper 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 Spot uranium prices – current 8 9 Western worlduranium demand&supply 10000 20000 30000 40000 50000 60000 70000 0 Reactor Requirements Reactor Africa South Gabon Australia 1945 1948 1951 1954 1957 1960 1963 1966 USA Namibia Canada 1969 1972 1975 1978 1981 1984 1987 France Others Niger 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2005 Global distribution of uranium resources 10 Major uranium operations Rabbit Lake Angarsk (Cameco) Russia (Russian Govt) Key Lake (Cameco, Cogema) McLean (Cameco) Springfields (BNF) Blind River Kazakhstan Crow Butte (Cameco) Pierrelatte (Areva) Jouac (Cameco, Kepco Res.) (Cogema) Highland Uzbekistan Metropolis (Cameco) (Honywell) Christensen Ranch Arlit + Akouta (Cogema, Fuel Internat.) (Cogema, State of Niger, OURD) Ranger (Rio, Cameco, Cogema, JAURDC) Rossing Converters (Rio, State of Iran, State of Sth Africa) Vaal Reefs Beverley Olympic Dam (General Atomics) (Anglo) (WMC) 11 World uranium production 2006, tU Canada 9862 Australia 7594 Kazakhstan 5279 Niger 3431 Russia 3262 Namibia 3067 Uzbekistan 2260 USA 1762 Others 3009 Total 39526 12 Top uranium mines 2006, tonnes U McArthur River 7200 Ranger 4026 Rossing 3077 Krasnokamensk 2900 Olympic Dam 2868 Rabbit Lake 1972 Akouta 1869 Arlit 1565 13 Companies producing uranium, 2006, tU Cameco 8038 KazAtomProm 4929 Rio Tinto 4870 Areva 4466 TVEL 3262 BHP Billiton 2868 Navoi 2260 Others 8883 Total 39526 14 Uranium production by mining method, 2006 Open pit 41% Underground 24% In situ leaching (ISL) 26% By-product 9% Total 100% 15 New Uranium Production by Country tonnes U (Projected startup, time to capacity will vary) 14,000 14,000 Russia 12615 US Kazakhstan 10,500 Africa 10,500 7,000 7,000 6075 3800 3,500 3,500 1300 385 0 0 2004 2005 2006 2007E 2008 Planned 16 Potential Future Production – Africa Annual Production Capacity - tonnes U 340 850 3270 1270 17 420 1100 Year represents projected start Ezulwini Buffelsfontein ~3650 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013+ Trekkopje 5000 Kayelekera Langer Heinrich Expansion Valencia Bakouma - -up date; time to reach full capacity will vary RystKuil 1240 Imouraren 3800 Dominion Expansion Extension Rossing Potential Future Production – Australia Annual Production Capacity - tonnes U 0 0 0 7 5 5 ? ? Crocker Well Four Mile Ranger Extension ODM Expansion ODM Crocker Well Four Mile Ranger Extension ODM Expansion ODM 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013+ Year represents projected start-up date; time to reach full capacity will vary 18 Potential Future Production – Canada Annual Production Capacity - tonnes U 1270 690-1385 McArthur Expansion ? 19 Year represents projected start Rabbit Lake Extension 6925 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013+ 3075 -up date; time to reach full capacity will vary 2700 ? Cigar Lake (2011 earliest) Midwest Michelin Kiggavik 20 Year represents projected start projected Year represents Year represents projected start projected Year represents ? ? 2 Inkai Expansion 0 Potential FutureProduction– Kazakhstan Inkai Expansion 0 -Annual ProductionCapacity tonnes U 0 7 Irkol 50 1000 each 2008 2009West 2010Mynkuduk 2011 2012 2013+ South Zarechoye Inkai 2 Inkai 00 0 Kharasan 1 1 Kharasan 1 00 0 -3 00 - 0 - up date; time to reach full capacity will vary will full capacity reach to time date; up up date; time to reach full capacity will vary will full capacity reach to time date; up Kharassan 2 2 Kharassan 2 00 0 Budenvskoye expansion 2 Budenvskoye expansion 00 0 21 Year represents projected start projected Year represents Year represents projected start projected Year represents Potential Future Production – Production Potential Future Russia Annual Production Capacity -Annual ProductionCapacity tonnes U 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013+ Khiagda 1000 - - up date; time to reach full capacity will vary will full capacity reach to time date; up up date; time to reach full capacity will vary will full capacity reach to time date; up Dalur Expansion 290 Elkon Deposits 50 00 Priargunsky Expansion 2000 Khiagda Expansion 1000 Potential Future Production – US Annual Production Capacity - tonnes U 250 ~ 770 385 22 Year represents projected start Christensen Ranch 540 White Mesa Mill/Mines ~385 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013+ Hobson Mill 150-385 -Wyoming Mines 800 Mill - Uranium 1 -up date; time to reach full capacity will vary Shootaring Gas Hills US ISR Cameco 800-1000 Honda Roca Uranium production plans of Kazakhstan 2006 5,279 tU 2007 6,637 tU 2008 9,500 tU 2009 15,000 tU 2010 18,000 tU 2011 19,000 tU 2015 onwards 25,000 tU per annum 23 Industry organisation in Kazakhstan • Continuing production from old mining areas – 3,000 – 4,000 tU per year • Joint ventures with Cameco (Inkai) and Areva (Katco) – each up to (eventually) 4000 tU per year • Investments by Uranium One in Akdala, South Inkai and Kharasan–1 deposits – up to 4,000 tU per year • Joint ventures with Japanese partners • Supply arrangements with other Japanese partners (could supply 40% of Japanese U demand – 5,000 tU) • Joint ventures with Russia • Further expected investments and supply arrangements with Korea and China 24 ISL mining 25 ISL mining - wellfield 26 ISL operation - process plant 27 Junior uranium companies - activities Uranium production 4 Mine 16 developm ent 83 Acquisiton of know n deposits 271 Exploration 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 28 Junior uranium companies – location of activities 11 Europe 17 Asia 19 Latin America 41 Africa 50 Unite d States 78 A u stralia 135 Canada 0 50 100 150 29 Future of secondary supplies • Can be regarded as previous uranium production, held off the market for an extended period • Will remain an important element in nuclear fuel supply • Ex-military materials – further HEU down- blending? • Government inventories • MOX and RepU fuel 30 MOX and RepU fuels • Reprocessing plants separate uranium and plutonium from used fuel • RepU is re-enriched by centrifuges or blending to produce fresh fuel • Extracted plutonium is introduced as the primary fissile element in MOX fuel • Major reprocessing plants in France and UK with one nearing completion in Japan • Could return as a major force – MOX plant in US, GNEP etc 31 UF6 conversion capacity, tU Cameco Canada 14,000 COMURHEX France 14,500 CNNC China 3,000 ConverDyn USA 15,000 Rosatom Russia 15,000 Westinghouse UK 6,000 Total 67,500 32 UO2 conversion capacity, tU Argentina 160 Canada 2700 China 200 India 435 Korea 400 Romania 150 Total 4045 33 Conversion – now and future • Market for conversion to UF6 has been quite tight • Clear shortfalls when plants have been “down” • Regional imbalance in supply – need for transport • Springfields facility in UK didn’t close as originally scheduled in 2006 – some relief to supply • Investment in expanded and new facilities • Possible increased access to surplus Russia capacity • Continued need for secondary supplies – particularly from down-blended Russian HEU 34 Enrichment - basics • 90% of current power reactors need fuel where the U-235 isotope is above the natural 0.71% (typically 3-5%) • Two main technologies – gaseous diffusion and centrifuges • Investment in laser enrichment so far unrewarded by commercial application • Large front-end expense for utilities • Effort expended is measured in separative work units (SWUs) • Significant part of capacity was historically developed for military requirements 35 Enrichment – supply • Four large suppliers of primary enrichment services – USEC, Eurodif (Areva), Urenco and Rosatom • USEC and Eurodif use gas diffusion • Urenco and Rosatom use centrifuges • JNFL and CNNC also primary suppliers • Heavy current investment in new centrifuge plants by USEC and Urenco in US and by Eurodif in France (and eventually US too) • Will SILEX prove commercially viable? 36 Enrichment capacities, 000 SWUs CNNC China 1,000 Eurodif France 10,800 JNFL Japan 1,050 Rosatom Russia 25,000 Urenco Germany 1,800 Netherlands 3,500 UK 3,700 USEC USA 11,300 Total 58,150 37 Georges Besse II Early 2008 (source :