URANIUM GOVERNANCE IN THE UNITED STATES

Transcription

1 URANIUM GOVERNANCE IN THE UNITED STATES Sharon Squassoni Director, Proliferation Prevention Program Center for Strategic & International Studies Uranium Governance Workshop Danish Institute of International Affairs Copenhagen, Denmark September 23-24, 2013

2 Outline Background (2 slides) Context (12 slides) Industry and government approaches to governance (3 slides) 2

3 Why are we involved in this project? At the very front end of the fuel cycle, there are few controls on uranium IAEA is in process of defining prudent management practices for uranium security US is not the biggest risk Leader in nonproliferation and nuclear security Producer, consumer, exporter and importer of uranium 3

4 Objectives for this briefing Highlight where U.S. experience may be unique (e.g. Agreement States?) Introduce some recommendations for improved governance for the US or other countries Bring together industry, government, other experts to hear different perspectives 4

5 Key phases in the American uranium experience Uranium ignorance (byproduct years) to 1939 Uranium bliss (AEC incentives, uranium rush ) to 1955 Uranium diversity (market opens to foreign U) from 1977 Uranium slump Steady state from

6 Historical Uranium Mines from 1940s onwards Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Radiation & Indoor Air Radiation Protection Division. EPA 402-R August

7 Western Uranium Mine Density by Hydrologic Unit Code Source: The U.S. Geological Survey s (USGS) Minerals Availability System/Minerals Industry Location System 7

8 Uranium Prices

9 Spot Market Price vs. Average paid by US reactor operators Source: Matthew Bunn, Steve Fetter, John Holdren and Bob van der Zwaan, The Economics of Reprocessing Versus Direct Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel, Nuclear Technology 150 (June 2005): 209 Updated with Data from EIA and UIW. 9

10 Pounds U 3 O 8 equivalent Domestic Production and Imports of Uranium Concentrate (U.S., 1949-Present) 70,000,000 60,000,000 50,000, AEC begins phasing out foreign uranium purchases Ban on use of foreign uranium lifted 40,000,000 30,000,000 Purchased Imports Domestic Production 20,000,000 10,000, AEC ends foreign purchases Megatons to Megawatts Program Begins 0 SOURCE: EIA Annual Energy Review, September 2012, Uranium Industry Annual 1992 by United States Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric, and Alternate Fuels, ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/nuclear/ pdf. * Includes all forms of uranium concentrate in U 3 O 8 equivalent

11 Total US Ore Production (thousand pounds U3O8*) 50,000 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5, SOURCE: Uranium Industry Annual 1992 by United States Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric, and Alternate Fuels, ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/nuclear/ pdf; Uranium Industry Annual 2002 by United States Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric, and Alternate Fuels, ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/nuclear/ pdf; US Energy Information Administration - Domestic Uranium Production Report - Annual 2012, * Actual U 3 O 8 from ISL and Byproduct Recovery plants and estimated contained U 3 O 8 from Underground and Open Pit mines 11

12 Uranium Purchases by US Civilian Nuclear Power Operators 1993-Present (thousand pounds U3O8 equivalent) 70,000 United States Australia Canada Kazakhstan Namibia Russia Uzbekistan Total Purchases 60,000 50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10, SOURCES: Uranium Industry Annual years by United States Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric, and Alternate Fuels; US Energy Information Administration - Domestic Uranium Production Report - Annual

13 Operating Mines (1982-Present) Underground Open Pit In-situ Leaching Other Sources* SOURCE: Uranium Industry Annual 1992 by United States Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric, and Alternate Fuels, ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/nuclear/ pdf; Uranium Industry Annual 2002 by United States Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric, and Alternate Fuels, ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/nuclear/ pdf; U.S. Energy Information Administration: Form EIA-851A, "Domestic Uranium Production Report" ( ) * Includes mine water, mill site cleanup and mill tailings, and well field restoration 13

14 Operating Conventional Mills (1987-Present) SOURCE: Uranium Industry Annual 1992 by United States Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric, and Alternate Fuels, ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/nuclear/ pdf; Uranium Industry Annual 2002 by United States Office of Coal, Nuclear, Electric, and Alternate Fuels, ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/nuclear/ pdf; U.S. Energy Information Administration: Form EIA-851A, "Domestic Uranium Production Report" ( ) 14

15 Industry motivations for material accounting & control Economics At mine recovery rates At converter (bookkeeping) In transportation load can = $2M worth of material Compliance with regulations 15

16 Regulatory attention Not just an issue of national sovereignty but state sovereignty Agreement States approach From 1978 (UMTRCA), focus on environmental health and safety Transportation requirements mostly tied to safety rather than physical protection Reporting requirements for imports/exports but murky re: investigating violations 16

17 Governance across components of front end Element Conventional Mining Legal requirement s 1872 Mining Act Product Lead Agency Measures Ore DoE remediation NRC ISL Mining U concentrate NRC Milling NRC Not subject to NRC inspections; not required to report theft Conversion? U concentrate NRC NRC Operational Safety/Sg inspection program Transportatio n -- Varied DOT Primarily for safety Imports Varied NRC NMSS Exports Varied NRC NMSS 17

18 A few governance objectives More transparency? At mines? At mills? At converters? More reporting? Of thefts? More monitoring of U movements? 18

19 Questions for discussion Does industry (production, transportation) have incentives to do more? Are there additional cost-effective measures? Where does the US industry/government rank in terms of physical protection of uranium? 19

20 Contact information Proliferation Prevention ssquassoni@csis.org