Could a shortage of viable uranium be the Achilles-heel of the nuclear power industry’s bid to save the world from global warming?

Uranium is as common as tin or zinc, but current nuclear power plants use, and are costed on the basis of, high-grade uranium, which is far cheaper to refine than low-grade. Most estimates suggest that the planet has 4-5 million tonnes. More cautious authorities, like the European Commission, are reckoning on 2.8 million tonnes. At the current level of high-grade uranium consumption (67,000 tonnes per year), and given no improvement in nuclear technology (which looks unlikely within the timescale needed) known viable resources would last 42 years. If one also included the second-hand high-grade uranium available from the Military as they update their nuclear armouries, nuclear energy would only be available for 72 years.

However, this presupposes that nuclear energy will continue to produce electricity at its current modest level (16% of global electricity). If it is to have an impact on global warming or, for that matter, replace the planet’s dwindling oil, coal and gas resources, significantly increased production will be needed, perhaps a sixfold production. In that case, that 72 years would become 12 years, making all of that investment and building rather pointless, not to say, from a capitalist viewpoint, a poor investment.

Ed.- This demonstration of economic absurdity is only one of four compelling arguments not to build new nuclear power plants. The others are (i) their terrorist potential as ‘nuclear bombs’, (ii) their higher than reported carbon emissions, (iii) the unsolved problem of their radioactive waste.
The Government must be aware of these facts, but persists in keeping the nuclear energy option open. Why? It cannot be the nuclear energy lobby. The 8% of the UK’s electricity needs the industry provides is costing the Government a fortune. Some suspect it may be the Military lobby, which still thinks it needs an independent source of the radioactive by-products of refining uranium for its nuclear bombs and depleted uranium weapons.
Whatever the reason, alleging that nuclear power is the most powerful weapon immediately available to the UK is a clever way of rehabilitating the industry in the eyes of the public.