Uranium enrichment and public policy

Book · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6616169

Moore, T G

Alternative policies to the present government monopoly of the uranium enrichment process are discussed in this monograph. Alternative policies analyzed are continued government monopoly and operation by the Department of Energy, establishment of a government corporation, and complete relinquishing of government control with the private sector taking the risks of constructing additional capacity. The material is divided into 6 chapters. Chapter 1 describes the fuel cycle and the public policy issues involved. The enrichment process, current capacity, and the operation of the plants by the government are described in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 estimates future demand for electricity in the U.S. and forecasts the demand for nuclear power and for enrichment services. Chapter 4 describes the historical background, including the Nuclear Fuel Assurance Act, opposition to it, and its demise. The basic policy options the government faces with an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each are included in Chapter 5. The final chapter summarizes the findings and presents the conclusion that, from an economic efficiency viewpoint, selling the existing plants and turning the industry over to the private sector would be best. An appendix describes some of the issues involved in plutonium recycling.

• OSTI ID: 6616169
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

050500* -- Nuclear Fuels-- Uranium Enrichment
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290600 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
ACTINIDE ISOTOPES
ACTINIDES
ELEMENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
ISOTOPE SEPARATION
METALS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
URANIUM
URANIUM ISOTOPES