Nuclear power is booming and expanding production! French nuclear state-owned enterprise seeks to enhance uranium mining and enrichment capabilities
阿豆学长长ov
发表于 2024-10-12 14:59:44
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With the increasing demand for nuclear fuel supply and the geopolitical developments in major uranium producing regions such as Russia and Africa, French nuclear energy company Orano SA is seeking to increase its uranium mining and enrichment capabilities.
In the past three years, under the goal of green carbon reduction, many countries have launched more nuclear power plant projects. At the same time, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, changes in the situation in Niger, and production issues in Kazakhstan have continuously stimulated the soaring prices of this strategic commodity.
[align center] (The price of uranium has doubled in the past three years, source: trading economics)
Seeking to expand uranium mining capacity
Nicolas Maes, CEO of Orano, revealed that the company is investing in extending the development lifespan of mining projects in Canada and Kazakhstan, while exploring nearby and remote areas in these countries. The company is also developing new projects in Mongolia and Uzbekistan, while maintaining a "monitoring mode" for potential acquisitions.
Metz said, "We are interested in diversifying our projects because there are some tensions in Eastern Europe and Africa. The issue of 'where does uranium come from' over the next decade is pushing up prices
Earlier this year, Niger revoked a mining license from Ouano in the country, and the company's other uranium mine in the country can only operate at 40% capacity. Meanwhile, due to ongoing geopolitical issues, production in this landlocked African country cannot be exported.
It is worth mentioning that the expansion idea of Orano is also a consensus in the industry. Earlier this week, Tim Gieser, CEO of Cameco Corporation in Canada, one of the world's two largest uranium producers, publicly stated that they are seeking to expand certain mining projects to meet the rising global demand for nuclear power.
Jitzer emphasized that the current demand situation is the best fundamental he has seen in his over 40 year career.
Make efforts to seize the uranium enrichment market
In addition to mining, Orano is also making efforts in the uranium enrichment market. According to company data, Rosatom is the world's largest uranium enrichment supplier, holding 43% of the global market share. The second ranked company is the Anglo Dutch joint venture Urenco, with a market share of 31%, while the third ranked China National Nuclear Corporation has a market share of 13%.
With the signing of a bill earlier this year by US President Joe Biden ordering a ban on the import of enriched uranium from Russia, Orano also saw an opportunity. Metz said that the company may seek to build an enriched uranium plant in the United States to further seize Russia's share, provided that it can obtain support from the US government and sufficient customer commitments. This multi billion dollar factory may be built in Tennessee.
Earlier this year, the expansion project of Orano's French uranium enrichment plant officially broke ground. The company expects to increase its share of the global uranium enrichment service market from 12% to 16% after it is fully operational around 2030.
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声明：该文观点仅代表作者本人，本文不代表CandyLake.com立场，且不构成建议，请谨慎对待。
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