Enrichment: Dealing with overcapacity

Journal Article · Thu Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · NUEXCO. Monthly Report to the Nuclear Industry

OSTI ID:104858

Today`s surplus of enrichment capacity will continue until at least the end of this century. This will challenge the ingenuity of the SWU suppliers as they attempt to keep market share and remain profitable in a very competitive marketplace. The utilities will be faced with attractive choices, but making the best choice will require careful analysis and increased attention to market factors. National markets served by many government-controlled enrichment suppliers have replaced the international market dominance that the US Government once enjoyed. Today customers give their national suppliers special preference. A customer`s loyalty may arise out of equity participation in the producer, nationalistic feelings, a position as a subcontractor, or simply a preference for firms serving the local area. The suppliers with relatively secure national markets include URANSERVICE in the USSR and in the eastern European countries; China Nuclear Energy Industry Corporation in the Peoples Republic of China; EURODIF in France, Italy, Spain, and Belgium; URENCO in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Germany; and the domestic suppliers in Japan, Argentina, Brazil, and South Africa. Competition in the SWU market is concentrated in the USA where the US DOE may not be able to maintain its traditional share of its domestic market, and in countries that are not self-sufficient in enrichment. Competition also exists in the countries served by EURODIF and URENCO, but the uncommitted market is smaller and the enrichment suppliers are maintaining a high degree of customer loyalty.

• OSTI ID: 104858
• Journal Information: NUEXCO. Monthly Report to the Nuclear Industry, Journal Name: NUEXCO. Monthly Report to the Nuclear Industry Journal Issue: 244; ISSN 0742-4582; ISSN NUEXD3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
CAPACITY
ENRICHED URANIUM
ENRICHMENT
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
ISOTOPE SEPARATION PLANTS
MARKET
PRODUCTION
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
URANIUM ISOTOPES