A Joint Report by the Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency U ranium Uranium 2020: Resources, Production and Demand Uranium 2020: Resources, Resources, Production and Demand NEA NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY A Joint Report by the Nuclear Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency Uranium 2020: Resources, Production and Demand © OECD 2020 NEA No. 7551 NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 37 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Commission takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) was established on 1 February 1958. Current NEA membership consists of 33 countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The European Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency also take part in the work of the Agency. The mission of the NEA is: – to assist its member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally sound and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes; – to provide authoritative assessments and to forge common understandings on key issues as input to government decisions on nuclear energy policy and to broader OECD analyses in areas such as energy and the sustainable development of low-carbon economies. Specific areas of competence of the NEA include the safety and regulation of nuclear activities, radioactive waste management, radiological protection, nuclear science, economic and technical analyses of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear law and liability, and public information. The NEA Data Bank provides nuclear data and computer program services for participating countries. This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found online at: www.oecd.org/about/publishing/corrigenda.htm. © OECD 2020 You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgement of the OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre français d'exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) [email protected]. Cover photos: The Barakah nuclear power plant, United Arab Emirates (ENEC); Husab mine in Namibia (Swakop Uranium); Yellow Cake (Areva/Jean-Marie Taillat). PREFACE/ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Preface Since the mid-1960s, with the co-operation of their member countries and states, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have jointly prepared periodic updates (currently every two years) on world uranium resources, production and demand. Such updates have been published in what are commonly known as the “Red Books”. This 28th edition features a comprehensive assessment of uranium supply and demand and projections through the year 2040. The basis of this assessment is a comparison of uranium resource estimates (according to categories of geological certainty and production cost) and mine production capability with anticipated uranium requirements arising from projected installed nuclear capacity. Current data on resources, exploration, production and uranium stocks are also presented, along with historical summaries of exploration and production, and plans for future mine development. Available information on uranium secondary supply is provided and the potential impact of secondary sources on the market is assessed. Individual country reports offer detailed information on recent developments in uranium exploration and production, on environmental activities, regulatory requirements and on relevant national uranium policies. This publication has been prepared on the basis of data obtained through questionnaires sent by the NEA to OECD member countries and by the IAEA to other countries. It contains official data provided by 31 countries and 14 national reports prepared by the NEA and the IAEA. This report is published under the responsibility of the OECD Secretary-General. Acknowledgements This joint report was prepared by the NEA and IAEA Secretariats. The contributions from across the two agencies were led by Luminita Grancea at the NEA, and Mark Mihalasky and Martin Fairclough at the IAEA. The NEA/IAEA gratefully acknowledge the attentive support provided by members of the Joint NEA/IAEA Uranium Group, as well as the co-operation of those organisations and individuals listed in Appendix 1 and 2. In compiling and preparing Chapters 1 and 3, Jean René Blaise (France), Alexander Boytsov (Russian Federation), Adrienne Hanly (Austria), Luis López (Argentina), James Marlatt (Canada), Gabi Schneider (Namibia) and Robert Vance (Canada), provided valuable help. The input and participation of all was essential for the successful completion of this report. URANIUM 2020: RESOURCES, PRODUCTION AND DEMAND, NEA No. 7551, © OECD 2020 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of contents Executive summary ................................................................................................................................ 9 Chapter 1. Uranium supply ............................................................................................................... 15 Uranium resources ............................................................................................................................ 15 Identified conventional resources ............................................................................................ 15 Distribution of resources by production method ................................................................... 27 Distribution of resources by processing method ................................................................... 28 Distribution of resources by deposit type ............................................................................... 29 Proximity of resources to production centres ........................................................................ 30 Undiscovered resources ............................................................................................................ 31 Other resources and materials ................................................................................................. 33 Uranium exploration ........................................................................................................................ 38 Non-domestic.............................................................................................................................. 38 Domestic ...................................................................................................................................... 40 Current activities and recent developments .......................................................................... 43 Uranium production ......................................................................................................................... 55 Present status of uranium production..................................................................................... 58 Ownership ................................................................................................................................... 63 Employment ...............................................................................................................................