2023-05-05 00:45:14
« Invest in America and produce in America is one of the priorities of the Biden administration. It is valid for many sectors of the economy, including the production of uranium to supply power stations. But the country starts from afar.
From our correspondent in Washington,
With 95 nuclear reactors in 65 power plants, the United States is the world’s largest consumer of uranium. A fuel imported in its vast majority. For if the country, some forty years ago, operated 250 mines, today, national production is struggling to rise above zero. For one main reason: cost. Importing costs less than producing locally. But that is changing. The Alta Mesa mine in Texas is scheduled to begin operations at the end of 2024.
Same thing for that of Shootaring Canyon, in Utah. The company that owns it is evaluating what is needed to double production and productivity from what it was before it closed several years ago. Behind this revival, there is a political will. For reasons of energy independence and strategic reasons. Current imports come mainly from Kazakhstan and Canada, but also from Russia, for almost 15% of the total. That’s a lot for a country with which relations have been at their lowest since the invasion of Ukraine. The Russian company that produces the uranium, Rosatom, is subject to sanctions because of its links with the Russian military sector.
The desire to relaunch a local industry is written in black and white in the inflation reduction law. Since nuclear electricity is carbon-free, 700 million dollars in aid are planned for this purpose out of the 350 billion in favor of the climate provided for by law. But not all environmental issues are resolved. Uranium mining in the past has left bad memories. The Navajo Indians are particularly reluctant. Mines are often located on their territory. They had to deal with pollution problems and abnormally high cancer cases when the operation was in full swing.
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