Uranium as an energy source: resources, production and reserves from the point of view of technological development

A reliable evaluation of the uranium resources available in the future and associated strategic reserves must take into account trends in prospecting, degree of technological development of the different stages of the nuclear fuel cycle (starting with the mining industry and preparation), but in particular also the specific raw material and energy yield of future generations of fuel and reactor technology. Uranium deposits are categorised with regard to ore content and probable production costs. The intensified prospecting following the increase in the uranium price will lead to discovery of further reserves and thus continue to follow the historical trend. Uranium production is subject to increasingly stringent legal boundary conditions - mining and preparation are approved according to strict international standards to minimise the environmental effects during operation and to restore and recultivate the sites after closure. New or extended/modernised uranium production sites are based on modern semi- or fully automated technologies. Exposure to radiation and environmental effects are minimised by avoidance of tailings (in situ leaching), by relocation of preparation partial processes underground or by storage of the residues from conventional plants according to international standards. In addition to a rough prediction based on currently available data trends in resource development, uranium production, fuel production and the energy yield from uranium including the option of utilisation of transuranic elements for energy production in order to minimise the radioactive waste are discussed and applied qualitatively to estimation of the reserves. (orig.)