When do we run out of uranium? How much is used per year?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the availability and usage of uranium, including questions about when uranium resources may be depleted, annual consumption rates, stockpiles, and economically extractable deposits. The conversation also touches on thorium as an alternative resource.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the timeline for running out of uranium, annual usage, stockpiles, and economically viable deposits.
  • Another participant provides links to resources detailing uranium production and reserves, suggesting that searching for "Uranium reserves" could yield more information.
  • A participant calculates that the yearly production of uranium is 43,000 tons, while yearly usage is 65,000 tons, indicating a reserve of 5,500,000 tons, which could last about 85 years at the current usage rate. They note that nuclear energy currently accounts for 6.5% of global energy and speculate that if it increased to 65%, reserves would last only 8.5 years.
  • Another participant expresses uncertainty about thorium reserves, stating they found a global reserve of 2.6 million tons and questions the energy yield comparison between uranium and thorium, noting that a significant portion of thorium reserves is located in India.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the availability of thorium and its potential as a resource compared to uranium. There is no consensus on the implications of uranium depletion or the viability of thorium as an alternative energy source.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various sources for data on uranium and thorium reserves, but the discussion does not resolve the assumptions regarding energy yield comparisons or the economic feasibility of extracting these resources.

edpell
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When do we run out of uranium? How much is used per year? How much is in stock piles? How much is in deposits that we can afford to extract?
 
Engineering news on Phys.org
Last decades world-wide production
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/uprod.html

Uranium Supply - http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf75.html

Nuclear fuel cycle pages - http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf03.html (includes inf75)

Search the site for "Uranium reserves" and many reports will be found.

Besides uranium, there is thorium as well.
 
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Astronuc, thanks. From these I get yearly production 43KT (1000 tones), yearly usage 65KT, reserve at current spot market price 5,500KT. So about 85 years at current rate of use. Current nuclear accounts for 6.5% of world energy per year. If we went say 65% nuclear we would have 8.5 years of reserve. Good thing we do not use much nuclear.

Yes, there is much more thorium I will look at that next.
 


Well I thought there was more thorium but I find 2.6x10^6 ton global reserve from
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/default.aspx?id=448&terms=thorium
assuming a Kg of U and a Kg of Th are about the same energy yield I would say there is less Th(?). A point of interest is that about 2/3 of the thorium is in India. So from a global point of view there may not be lots of thorium but from an India point of view thorium looks great.
 
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