In the 1950s, the use of radioactive elements in generating electricity grew in many of the developed countries as well as some developing countries. Installed nuclear capacity rose from 1 gigawatt in 1960 to 100 gigawatts by the end of the 1970s. Reactors require materials, services and even the purchase of a new technology. The nuclear fuel cycle had become an industry in which domestic and international policies played an important role.
This report provides a description of the various commercial aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle focusing on uranium, UF6 conversion, enrichment, fabrication and reprocessing.
“The uranium production industry is characterized by long lead times and large investments. Including everything, it can take from 8 to 10 years to bring a new project into initial production. Just beginning serious exploration can take two years.” (p VI-8)
This report was released to the Nautilus Institute under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).