2019-05-06 11:30:00
U.S., KAZAKHSTAN URANIUM PRODUCTION DOWN
WNN - Kazatomprom's uranium production for the first quarter of 2019 was 4% down from the same period in 2018 as the Kazakh company continues with its plan to reduce production. Meanwhile, US uranium production for the quarter was 74% down from 2018.
Total production for the first quarter was 5294 tU, down from 5528 tU in 2018, although Kazatomprom's attributable production - that is, the portion of production of an entity in which the company has an interest - at 3063 tU was up from 2911 tU in 2018. Sales volumes for the first quarter of 2019 were lower compared to the same period in 2018, primarily due to a customer's request to shift an 800 tU delivery from the first to the second quarter, the company said. The average realised price for the first quarter - USD26.78 per pound U3O8 - was 16% higher compared to 2018.
The company said its production expectations remain unchanged and are consistent with its ongoing intention to "flex down" planned production volumes by 20% over 2018-2020. Total production is expected to be 22,750-22,800 tU (100% basis) in 2019; without the reduction, this would have exceeded 28,500 tU.
With its attributable production representing about 23% of total global uranium primary production in 2018, Kazatomprom describes itself as the world's largest producer of uranium. Through its subsidiaries, joint ventures and associates it operates 26 deposits in 13 mining assets, all of which are located in Kazakhstan and mined using in-situ leach (ISL) technology.
The company said it expects to maintain an inventory level of approximately six months of annual attributable production at 2019 year-end.
US production hits low
US uranium production in the first quarter of 2019, at 58,481 pounds U3O8, was down 83% from the fourth quarter of 2018 and down 74% from the first quarter of 2018, according to figures released on 1 May by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Uranium was produced at four facilities, all ISL operations located in Wyoming: Lost Creek; Nichols Ranch; Ross; and Smith Ranch-Highland. This is two fewer than in the fourth quarter of 2018, the EIA said.
US President Donald Trump is expected to make a decision on any further action following a US Department of Commerce investigation into the effects of uranium imports on US national security. The investigation, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, was triggered by the filing in January 2018 of a petition by uranium mining companies Energy Fuels Inc and Ur-Energy, who sought a quota to limit imports of uranium into the USA, effectively reserving 25% of the market for domestic production.
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Earlier:
2019, April, 26, 10:00:00
NUCLEAR POWER FLUX DENCITY
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2019, April, 24, 10:35:00
SMALL NUCLEAR QUESTIONS
The race for investor commitments of cash and eventual market share among developers of small modular reactors (SMRs) globally is on. Developers in the U.S., Canada, U.K., South Korea, Russia, and China, and in other nations are pursuing their technology visions for a variety of designs concepts including light water (LWR), molten salt, HTGR, and other GEN IV types.
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2019, April, 19, 09:20:00
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The US Department of Commerce (DOC) on 15 April submitted to the White House the results of an investigation into the effects of uranium imports on US national security. US President Donald Trump now has up to 90 days to decide whether to act on the DOC's findings and recommendations, which have not been made public.
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2019, April, 1, 10:35:00
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WNN - The Nuclear Energy Leadership Act (NELA), bipartisan draft legislation which aims to accelerate the development of advanced nuclear technologies and re-establish US leadership in nuclear energy has been re-introduced to the US Senate.
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2019, March, 29, 11:10:00
U.S. NUCLEAR COMPETITIVENESS
Nuclear is the largest source of clean energy in the USA, and the nation's nuclear plants are working more efficiently than ever, Korsnick said, adding they are "economic engines" for the communities they serve.
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2019, March, 29, 11:05:00
THE NEW U.S. NUCLEAR
Twelve of the US' 98 operating nuclear generating units "are slated to close," and "to keep today's reactors running, we must pursue policy that gives innovators and investors confidence that there will be a market for their new nuclear technologies,"
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2019, March, 22, 10:00:00
U.S. NUCLEAR WILL DOWN
Electricity generation from U.S. nuclear power plants totaled 807.1 million megawatthours (MWh) in 2018, slightly more than the previous peak of 807.0 million MWh in 2010, based on preliminary annual data. Although several nuclear power plants have closed since 2010, a combination of added capacity through uprates and shorter refueling and maintenance cycles allowed the remaining nuclear power plants to produce more electricity. In the near future, however, EIA expects that U.S. nuclear power output will decline.
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