USA STRUGGLING TO GET URANIUM

WHY DOES THE USA REQUIRE RUSSIAN URANIUM?

"So, Matt, why do you have a piece of uranium ore in the studio?" - Because, well, it's cool. It's also a little strange, and it made the news because it was left off of a very important list." - Today, I'm announcing an embargo on all Russian oil, gas, and energy imports. - It turns out that the Russian Ukraine war is exposing a problem that isn't getting much attention: the nuclear fuel supply chain, which might have serious consequences for the future of nuclear power in the United States. In reaction to the invasion of Ukraine, the United States and other countries imposed sanctions on Russia, including sanctions on natural resources such as oil and gas, but not uranium. - When it comes to nuclear energy, particularly the uranium supply chain, Russia is a major actor on the global stage. - Justine Calma is a science reporter at "The Verge" who wrote about why it is so difficult for the United States to abandon Russian uranium.

- The United States can easily abandon Russian oil and gas, but has yet to do so with uranium since we rely on Russia for a large portion of our uranium supply. - Uranium is a popular nuclear fuel because its isotope, U-235, quickly splits during fission, releasing massive amounts of energy. Nuclear energy is hotly debated, but it still accounts for roughly half of our total energy use. In the United States, carbon-free electricity is available. The Biden administration is currently spending extensively in nuclear energy to satisfy the United States' climate goals, which is why we're talking about uranium. So, when we talk about nuclear power, it all starts with this radioactive uranium ore. That's why we're dressed in gloves. We did consult with pros about how to handle this stuff properly,, so we're taking all the required steps, but don't do this at home.

This is typical of most uranium ore. It's almost certainly not uranium. Low grade uranium ore contains just about 0.1% uranium. The rest of this ore is basically normal rock with some uranium-related elements like lead, thorium, and bismuth.

is steadily fading into. Our Geiger counter is being tripped by those daughter products. To detect uranium, we need far more sensitive equipment. Somewhere in this sample is a very small amount of this, a mineral rich in uranium called uraninite, which is simply a lot of uranium packed in extremely tightly.

This is one of many minerals that contain uranium, yet even that small amount of uranium nestled among tons of useless rock is mostly the wrong isotope for uranium fuel. - Naturally occurring uranium, such as that found in the ground, contains very low quantities of U-235. - The argument is that we require a large amount of uranium.

It takes a lot of work to extract uranium ore and create a comparatively small amount of fuel. To be useful as nuclear fuel, uranium must go through a conversion and enrichment process, which essentially involves compressing a lot of U-235 into a small space. - So uranium must be mined, then converted into yellow cake, which must then be changed into a gas, which must then be enriched to have larger concentrations of U-235, and finally that enriched uranium must be built into a fuel rod. That doesn't happen entirely in one fell swoop. - This is a time-consuming process that has been farmed out to various companies. companies, and only a few countries, such as France, Russia, and China, are truly capable of doing so. Because uranium can be enriched for nuclear energy, there are security concerns along the entire supply chain. It can also be enhanced for nuclear weapons. It has also been somewhat saturated, although demand is beginning to increase. - As some nations re-prioritize nuclear power as an alternative to fossil fuels, the supply chain is once again in the limelight, bringing us back to Russia.

The Russia-Ukraine war has heightened tensions between the United States and Russia, as well as exposing the vulnerabilities of the nuclear supply chain. One possible solution to that problem? A vital uranium deposit.

- This is essentially a uranium reserve to feed our power plants in the event of an emergency. If this battle continues as it has, we may be able to draw from our strategic uranium reserve. - The battle also puts the development of next-generation nuclear reactors in jeopardy. Most plants now use fuel enriched to 5% U-235, while future reactors in development will require enrichment to as high as 20%. - Because of the larger concentration of U-235, the fuel is more efficient, allowing for reactors that are much smaller than today's massive nuclear reactors. And when you reduce the size, you also reduce the expenses, which has been one of the most significant barriers to greater nuclear energy. - Right now, Russia is the only country that can commercially produce this Next Gen fuel.

The United States is developing its own production plant to produce Next Gen fuel, but it will take years to truly achieve American uranium independence. So, if we're going to all this trouble to store and enrich uranium, some argue that we might as well restart mining it, which has a bad track record. Mining corporations dug up a lot of uranium ore in the Western United States from the 1940s through the 1980s , and the EPA is still trying to clean up the devastation that was left behind decades later. Many indigenous tribes are opposed to the reintroduction of mining on or near their grounds, which are still contaminated with hazardous waste. - Hundreds of uranium mines left over on Navajo lands have been connected to cancer and other terrible health outcomes due to uranium poisoning of water and other difficulties with the legacy of those mines. Nuclear power challenges are not limited to mining.

There's the issue of radioactive waste storage, as well as the potential of meltdowns, so there's a lot at risk here. The Biden administration just set a target of achieving 100% carbon-free energy by 2035, and Biden wants nuclear power to be a part of that puzzle, so the discussion will likely heat up. - There is little doubt that climate change is a problem that the world must confront, and one of the most important battles now will be how to address that crisis. And nuclear energy is one of the fundamental issues at the heart of that discussion, and it's just going to become more of a flashpoint as time goes on. Here's what proponents of more nuclear energy have to say. Beggars can not be picky. We need carbon-free energy, and nuclear is right here, right? It's not perfect, but we don't have many other options. - That disagreement is unlikely to be settled anytime soon. So it appears like we'll be trapped with this rock for a little bit longer. Can I now wash my hands? Russia, you guessed it.