Special sessions on breeding. 1 - panel on uranium availability

The main conclusions of the panel were the following: (1) although there are immense quantities of uranium in the earth's crust (approximately 2 x 109T) and in seawater (approximately 4 x 109T), this does not have any influence on the present problems of nuclear strategy; (2) the real question is whether the extremely large quantities of natural uranium required by the end of the century and later can be discovered and extracted at the adequate time, rate and competitiveness; (3) the general feeling is that there are, at less than 30$/lb (1973 price) 2 MT reasonably assured, and 8 MT hypothetical, still to be found. For deposits corresponding to a price of more than 30$/lb, because of the lower grade, there are severe environmental problems to be expected which will limit the extraction. Extraction of uranium from seawater is by far still too academic and potentially too expensive to be taken into account in the present strategy studies; and (4) the current rate of discovery is about 30 to 40,000 T/annum. Great confidence in the future of nuclear energy will be required to attract the necessary investment to reach rates of 200,000 T/annum or more by the end of the century. (author)