Consolidation of the Uranium Production Industry
As uranium prices fell from the record-high levels of the late 1970s, high-cost, unsubsidized producers the world over began to curtail operations or exit the uranium business entirely. Since 1980, the number of companies actively involved in uranium mining or exploration has decreased markedly. As this exodus has taken place, existing reserves and production operations have become consolidated in the hands of a shrinking number of producers. Some of these are large, vertically integrated nuclear fuel companies that adhere to a very long-term view of the uranium market. To that end, they continue to acquire reserves for that period when most analysts agree the uranium market will recover and prices will rebound to higher levels. For consumers, however, this consolidation of production and reserves into fewer hands could have serious implications in future years.
- OSTI ID:
- 6947128
- Journal Information:
- NUEXCO. Monthly Report to the Nuclear Industry; (United States), Vol. 300; ISSN 0742-4582
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
URANIUM
PRODUCTION
DATA COMPILATION
ECONOMICS
HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM
MARKET
MINING
PRICES
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
URANIUM OXIDES U3O8
URANIUM RESERVES
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
ELEMENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM
INFORMATION
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
MATERIALS
METALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RESERVES
RESOURCES
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
050100* - Nuclear Fuels- Reserves
Exploration
& Mining
051000 - Nuclear Fuels- Economic
Industrial
& Business Aspects