The main immediate trend is the expansion of world nuclear power generation capacity using current reactor and fuel cycle technology. This will increase uranium demand from today’s 63 000 tU/yr to about 107 000 tU in 2030 (WNA 2011 reference scenario — upper is 137 00 tU, lower is 52 000 tU).

But by 2030 Generation IV reactors are expected to be coming into service, and many of these designs will be fast reactors, so requiring virtually no new uranium supply from mines. The focus will be on reprocessing used fuel and recycling it.

6.5 Sources of further information

WNA information papers, including:

Country papers plus: Uranium in Africa, Uranium in Central Asia

Supply of uranium http://www. world-nuclear. org/info/inf75.html

World uranium mining http://www. world-nuclear. org/info/inf23.html

In situ leach mining of uranium http://www. world-nuclear. org/info/inf27.html

Uranium from phosphate deposits http://www. world-nuclear. org/info/phosphates_

inf124.html

Uranium from rare earths deposits http://www. world-nuclear. org/info/uranium_ rare_earth_deposits_inf130.html

OECD NEA and IAEA 2010, Uranium 2009: Resources, Production and Demand (‘RedBook’), NEA Paris

World Nuclear Association 2011, The Global Nuclear Fuel Market: Supply and Demand 2011-2030, WNA London.

Hore-Lacy, I, 2012, Nuclear Energy in the 21st Century, 3rd edn, World Nuclear University, London