View all claims (text)
Claims
Claim text is for reading and citation. Bulk copying and AI training need a licensed maps data API key. Markdown
claim_88b5886fc931471a5a3cac5f
In 2018, world uranium production totaled approximately 53,499 tonnes.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_8e018a65ce902f75a4cec344
The United States relies heavily on foreign sources for both natural uranium and enriched uranium.
Labels: Inferred, High, investigate
Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain Steps
Nuclear Fuel Supply Chain Steps
Labels: Inferred, Low
Uranium Fundamentals
Uranium Fundamentals
Labels: Inferred, Low
claim_1a68f135d932053936b05bd8
In 2018, four countries supplied over 75% of global uranium output.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_5b6b844d47b07b3d48ed76db
The nuclear fuel supply chain involves multiple industrial steps to transform raw uranium into usable reactor fuel.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, investigate
claim_69bb6dddd27f4011cb246c2d
In 2022, the U.S. imported 27% of its natural uranium from Canada.
Labels: Inferred, High, investigate
claim_6e157f961c917635d2460ca2
China produced 1,885 tonnes of uranium.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_6ed68261cd5a21682e7a0329
Russia produced 2,904 tonnes of uranium.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_9e79ca2bd973ca2bf07a5f45
In 2022, the U.S. imported 25% of its natural uranium from Kazakhstan.
Labels: Inferred, High, investigate
claim_a32f1df8642d9862898b6b12
Uzbekistan produced 2,404 tonnes of uranium.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_e4f9c13309c0f0f9b9fbf08e
Uranium is a relatively common element found in the Earth's crust.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_eb68c7f7799a09f91cf01332
Niger produced 2,911 tonnes of uranium.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_0469a099957676de2ccb118a
Enrichment of 1,000 kg natural uranium to ~5% U-235 typically yields only ~85 kg enriched product and ~915 kg depleted UF₆ "tails" (0.2–0.3% U-235).
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_068f665b783eebd5c55319d4
Australia produced 6,517 tonnes of uranium in 2018, accounting for 12.18% of global output.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_07012d60160cc6bb196ccec6
Without the production cut, Kazakhstan's 2018 uranium production would have exceeded 27,000 tU.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_14d77fa38d52619711acde8b
Adjustments to Uzbekistan's and Ukraine's 2018 uranium production figures, along with rounding, resulted in a higher world total of 54,154 tU, while the output of the four leading countries remained unchanged.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_178cdfa01c234b2aad6fa452
Natural UF₆ from conversion is drained as a liquid into specially designed ~14-tonne (or >15 t full) thick-walled steel cylinders.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_1bd098c9f5311475ccce3648
Deconversion is a distinct post-enrichment (or parallel) industrial step that chemically removes fluorine from depleted UF₆ tails (or HALEU UF₆).
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_21a6dc8bf3647de82a85ba29
The decline in Canada's uranium output was caused by Cameco's suspension of the McArthur River mine and the Key Lake mill, which began in late January 2018 and was made indefinite in July 2018.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_3b73939f2e3aae69cc479a0d
Canada produced 7,001 tonnes of uranium in 2018, accounting for 13.09% of global output.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_3e65636af530cd0df57c2df2
Namibia's rise into the top four uranium producers in 2018, with an output of 5,525 tU, was driven by the ramp-up of the Husab mine.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_4d412a571327131b407c9e32
Mining and milling is a step in the nuclear fuel supply chain where uranium ore is extracted and processed into yellowcake (uranium oxide concentrate).
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, investigate
claim_51b2d15d32f74be8cf60bc23
Impurity removal occurs at each stage of the yellowcake to UF₆ conversion process.
Labels: Inferred, Medium
claim_6621cccfdc9cb29a85bed2c7
Canada's 2018 uranium output was 7,001 tU, representing a 47% drop from 13,116 tU in 2017.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_6943352d3da5855acac4c2f6
Later WNA tables raised Uzbekistan’s 2018 uranium figure from 2,404 tU to 3,450 tU.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_6c82ff2a7c805100094446a6
Kazatomprom announced a three-year, 20% reduction in uranium production starting in January 2018, which was intended to align production with oversupplied markets.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_7175c90db499751559b506f1
Deconversion also recovers HF for recycle or sale.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_796ea50e9d371b55db4fbaeb
The wet process for converting yellowcake to UF₆, dominant outside the US, involves dissolution in nitric acid to uranyl nitrate, solvent extraction/purification, calcination/reduction with H₂ to UO₂, hydrofluorination with HF to UF₄ ("green salt"), and then reaction with F₂ in a fluidized bed or flame tower to UF₆.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_87336d0473db293865edeb91
Later WNA tables lowered Ukraine’s 2018 uranium figure from 1,180 tU to 790 tU.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_8cf568357357a0c05851da27
A dry process for yellowcake conversion, used by US ConverDyn/Metropolis, involves calcination followed by producing impure UF₆ which is then refined by distillation.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_8ebfedebe4244340259d909c
McArthur River was the world's largest uranium mine at the time of its suspension in 2018.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_91e8e56a9dc43f488854fd63
Global depleted uranium (DU) stockpiles were estimated at ~1.2 million tU in 2021.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_9808904d5da7d60e0906ca04
Deconversion produces more stable uranium oxides (U₃O₈ or UO₂) suitable for long-term storage/disposal as low-level waste.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_9aa5154fc50b460e7b6de9c1
Cameco fulfilled existing contracts from inventory and market purchases rather than from production after the suspension of its mines.
Labels: Inferred, Medium
claim_9d2641fbbc7eaba2a1d679f3
Namibia produced 5,525 tonnes of uranium in 2018, accounting for 10.33% of global output.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_a691e5fcab1ac195eac495d2
Uranium is the primary raw material for most nuclear fuel.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, investigate
claim_b1f4d20f3eae997802f2d879
The four-country share of global uranium production in 2018 was 75.3% against the later-revised World Nuclear Association (WNA) world total of 54,154 tU.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_bbf25b9308690eae6f76a54f
Modern higher-burn-up reactor designs (5% enrichment, ~65 GWd/t) reduce the annual front-end material requirements for a 1000 MWe light-water reactor to ~192 t U₃O₈ / 163 tU / 241 t UF₆ / 25 t enriched UF₆ / 19.1 t UO₂.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_bc823e662bceb9f5158344fa
Enrichment is a step in the nuclear fuel supply chain where the concentration of fissile U-235 is increased from 0.7% to 3-5% for commercial reactors, creating low-enriched uranium (LEU).
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, investigate
claim_e1f31a304bcacedb8c2ddea5
UF₆ sublimes at ~56.5 °C at atmospheric pressure and is highly corrosive when moist.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_e353a8cde45f82c75a49af62
Conversion is a step in the nuclear fuel supply chain where yellowcake is converted to uranium hexafluoride (UF₆).
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, investigate
claim_e449702be6429ffec1c8adbf
Uranium must be extracted through mining before being processed into reactor fuel.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_e44ecc4a56aeb1867ebc8ea8
A typical 1000 MWe light-water reactor operating at high capacity with ~4.5% enrichment and ~45 GWd/t burn-up requires an annual front-end material balance of approximately 20,000–400,000 t uranium ore, yielding ~249 t U₃O₈ concentrate (~211 tU), ~312 t natural UF₆ (211 tU), ~35.9 t enriched UF₆ (24.3 tU at 4.5% U-235), and ~27.6 t UO₂ fuel (24.3 t enriched U).
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_e78a9d97e77a1d706c65ff65
Kazakhstan produced 21,705 tonnes of uranium in 2018, accounting for 40.57% of global output.
Labels: Inferred, Medium, investigate
claim_ef81033893532463f7c861d6
Fuel fabrication is a step in the nuclear fuel supply chain where enriched uranium is manufactured into ceramic pellets, which are sealed in metal tubes to form fuel rods and assemblies.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium, investigate
claim_f594b3b49f8c30fd69f9cfe6
Kazakhstan has been the world’s largest uranium producer every year since 2009.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_fdaa80c70d2472f4e5797356
Kazakhstan's 2018 uranium output was 21,705 tU, which reflected a 20% reduction compared to its licensed or planned volumes.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_10b9556a20280d1f2d7dce03
The small discrepancy between 6,517 tU and 6,526 tU for Australia's 2018 uranium production most likely reflects different reporting vintages, revisions, or rounding.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_166bbd608d0b81797fb4876c
Using the Red Book’s Australian figure of 6,526 tU and the revised WNA world total of 54,154 tU produces a 2018 share of 12.05% for Australia.
Labels: Contested, High
claim_189b37f40c781124619d46e2
The current World Nuclear Association table gives a revised 2018 world total of 54,154 tU, while continuing to list Australia's production at 6,517 tU.
Labels: Contested, High
claim_1c1c341e3215e009e7148f29
Cameco announced the suspension of McArthur River/Key Lake operations on November 8, 2017, effective at the end of January 2018, with an initial plan for approximately 10 months.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_1d57302fe9ed7c00f7091f45
Against the revised World Nuclear Association world total of 54,154 tU, Australia’s share of global uranium production in 2018 is 12.03%, not 12.18%.
Labels: Contested, High
claim_2223f0a1c6ef514b682498e2
The uranium market is influenced by changes in nuclear energy policies, advancements in reactor design, and the development of alternative energy sources.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_23acbced9a815c3b1f2ced0a
International bodies like the IAEA provide guidelines to ensure safe and sustainable practices in uranium mining and milling.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_2ceaddb3c33d284a4198c802
Beyond nuclear energy, yellowcake can be used in research reactors, medical applications, and for producing isotopes for various industrial uses.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_2e6bf55a24485286974d05e3
The 13.09% figure for Canada's share of global uranium output in 2018 represents an earlier data vintage and is not a stable fact.
Labels: Inferred, Medium
claim_2f7c91687722a1fd3072e368
Cigar Lake's ore has average grades of approximately 15–18% U₃O₈, which is roughly 100 times the world average of about 0.1–0.2%.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_37fad7f0ac4cf61ce9c43deb
Kazakhstan has accounted for over 40% of the world's uranium production in recent years.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_43b29ac5c41ce9b4bfae4791
The 2020 edition of Uranium: Resources, Production and Demand, published by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency and IAEA, states Australian production of 6,526 tonnes of contained uranium in concentrates for 2018.
Labels: Contested, High
claim_52b624c31e3789cd53805ec2
The 12.18% figure for Australia's share of global uranium production in 2018 is derived from dividing 6,517 tU by a world total of 53,498 tU.
Labels: Contested, High
claim_53ca1540342d431d40621d99
Yellowcake is the commercial product of uranium mining and milling, serving as the raw material for nuclear fuel production.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_5e2f55e0087eefe0cb42a420
Approximately 48.5% of Australia's 2018 uranium production came from Olympic Dam, 26.0% from Ranger, and 25.5% from Four Mile.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_607b757c51c07c33f123d409
Olympic Dam is a combined copper, uranium, gold, and silver operation, not a stand-alone conventional uranium mine.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_66a9604f7d0d01a09e11b33c
Canada fell from the world's second-largest uranium producer in 2017 to third in 2018, being overtaken by Australia.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_72f05446babcd0f3e0802163
Mitigation efforts for the environmental impacts of uranium mining and milling include waste management protocols and site rehabilitation.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_74296818f66abdb095b542d1
Canada's 13.09% share of global uranium output in 2018 is arithmetically consistent with dividing its 7,001 tU production by the World Nuclear Association's (WNA) original 2018 world total of approximately 53,498 tU.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_79f61ca0b8f948078ad917f9
DOE reports an inventory of approximately 740,000 metric tonnes of depleted uranium hexafluoride (DUF₆) at Portsmouth and Paducah.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_899ea3f89bc8b7f02ec31433
The economics of yellowcake production are affected by uranium market prices, which fluctuate due to global demand and geopolitical factors.
Labels: Inferred, Medium
claim_8ceca9d438b5f9aaba7b4edd
3,168 tU of Australia's 2018 uranium production came from Olympic Dam, which is classified as a “polymetallic Fe-oxide breccia complex”.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_8fa4ea678cd8478f2988e11b
The Rabbit Lake uranium mine had already been suspended in 2016.
Labels: Inferred, Medium
claim_90c92aa45750ecfdbc9e00d3
DOE's environmental review evaluated the disposition of depleted-uranium oxide at off-site low-level radioactive-waste facilities.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_965cf5e113949c0c2a250e1b
DOE’s disposal analysis identifies empty and heel-bearing cylinders, calcium-fluoride material, and low-level or mixed low-level waste from oxide-container storage and maintenance as additional waste streams created by DUF₆ conversion.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_9cdf3db1707c4bf44bd15852
Canada's 13% share of world uranium output in 2018 came from an exceptionally small tonnage of mined rock due to the high-grade ore from Cigar Lake.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_a1513652e01c3d6dbc0ca2a0
The selected claim's figures for Australia's 2018 uranium production are over-precise and not consistent with the strongest official compilation.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_adf6acd96881978a647a1b70
Virtually all of Canada's 7,001 tU uranium production in 2018 came from a single mine: Cigar Lake in Saskatchewan.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_b0596f4791eac9053933a2fe
The nuclear industry is heavily regulated, with stringent safety and environmental standards governing uranium mining and milling.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_b5dad07424fa02063b3ce56f
The mining and milling process for uranium can cause significant environmental impacts, including habitat disruption, waste generation, and water contamination.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_ba4b829891cf2c9ae2e18b5b
Based on the World Nuclear Association's (WNA) later-revised 2018 world total of 54,154 tU, Canada's share of global uranium production falls to 12.93%, not 13.09%.
Labels: Contested, Medium
claim_bc2568d45bc288a5331ffaa3
The exact percentage of 12.18% for Australia's share of global uranium production in 2018 should be treated as a historical snapshot of a particular data release.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_c5d8d7a76b770043f4e05d2b
Canada's drop in uranium production rank in 2018 was a direct consequence of the suspension of the McArthur River mine.
Labels: Inferred, Medium
claim_d967a1bd0382e4ec8d74196b
The grade of uranium ore varies significantly, impacting the efficiency and cost of yellowcake production.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_de46a9ce2a2595f2336015df
The process of producing yellowcake involves crushing uranium ore, treating it with acid or alkaline solutions, and then precipitating the uranium into a concentrated form.
Labels: Source-linked, Medium
claim_dfbbe1cb22b5acd5c059ee26
The suspension of McArthur River/Key Lake operations was made indefinite on July 25, 2018.
Labels: Inferred, Medium
claim_e075213d6dab09fc1c641ef1
Uranium deposits exist in different types, such as sandstone, volcanic, and unconformity-related deposits.
Labels: Inferred, Medium
claim_e1916e991ec6939c9de682da
The World Nuclear Association (WNA) now warns that its figures are liable to change as new data become available.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_f5408b8424b7fe5a4fd07b94
Yellowcake is a uranium oxide concentrate with the chemical formula U₃O₈, produced by milling uranium ore.
Labels: Inferred, Medium
claim_f8938ec80b51ab2c7b240e55
Almost half of Australia’s uranium supply in 2018 was linked to the economics and operating conditions of a major polymetallic mine (Olympic Dam), not solely to uranium-market incentives.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_fb215b90f44892dde46329a7
In-situ leaching involves dissolving uranium in place and pumping it to the surface for processing, which reduces waste and surface disturbance.
Labels: Inferred, Medium
claim_1e8490aab6c4ab0b9509ad9f
The NRC explicitly excludes the underground ore body depleted by solution extraction from the definition of 11e.(2) byproduct material.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_3ed2e4f17e00b558b2407b8a
The EPA limits radon-222 emissions from covered inactive uranium tailings to an average of 20 picocuries per square metre per second, which is equivalent to 0.74 Bq/m²/s.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_68575103ee972841200fddf2
DOE reported that approximately 8% of its remaining DUF₆ inventory was held in non-standard cylinders due to damage, corrosion, overfilling, or unusual size.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_6b031c6e29a5f65a746e6e86
Uranium mill tailings can retain 50–86% of the original ore’s radioactivity, with historical EPA estimates often using approximately 85%.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_6d37fb25262f748917db0701
The NRC defines discrete surface wastes from in-situ recovery, heap leaching, and ion exchange as regulated 11e.(2) byproduct material.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_7d6f330d654ed3196bbcb1e3
A 2022 NRC-sponsored investigation examined earthen covers at four tailings sites after approximately 20 years in service.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_9e7505661d6c8609001e1747
U.S. tailings-disposal designs must provide reasonable assurance of controlling radiological hazards for 1,000 years to the extent reasonably achievable, and at least 200 years.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_b8b6cb31febb55f6ed1e0880
Surface wastes from solution-extraction facilities are transported to tailings impoundments for disposal.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_c1b1a2e41677ddf02d7e0b20
Bulk rail shipments for permanent disposal of depleted-uranium oxide have begun.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_c8e14953ae9cf398be240fcb
The framework for U.S. tailings disposal calls for eventual or perpetual government ownership and long-term surveillance.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_c97a1dda89d65a9ed33f7d5a
DOE reported processing more than 1,000 DUF₆ cylinders during 2024.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_f01b9872c5b6602f72af1bb1
An EPA mining-waste study estimated that solid uranium tailings are approximately one metric tonne per metric tonne of ore feed.
Labels: Source-linked, High
claim_a21d31f469dedaefe0c39a57
Dedicated transfer and evacuation systems were required before non-standard DUF₆ material could enter normal conversion lines.
Labels: Inferred, High
claim_e331b5b7a11f743a153f8915
Radon-barrier saturated hydraulic conductivity at three of the four sites generally remained within the recommended range for long-term conditions.
Labels: Inferred, High