Paul KerrGeek Check

One tell-tale sign is if you saw this and were like “Sweet, the new OECD/IAEA Red Book is out.”

Which isn’t to say that I said that….I will simply note that I do not yet have a copy.

According to this press release:

Global uranium resources are more than adequate to meet projected requirements, according to the latest edition of a world reference guide on uranium resources published just recently.

Uranium 2005: Resources, Production and Demand—also called the “Red Book”—estimates the total identified amount of conventional uranium stock, which can be mined for less than USD 130 per kg, to be about 4.7 million tonnes. Based on the 2004 nuclear electricity generation rate of demand the amount is sufficient for 85 years, the study states. Fast reactor technology would lengthen this period to over 2500 years.

However, world uranium resources in total are considered to be much higher. Based on geological evidence and knowledge of uranium in phosphates the study considers more than 35 million tonnes is available for exploitation.

The spot price of uranium has also increased fivefold since 2001, fuelling major new initiatives and investment in exploration. Worldwide exploration expenditures in 2004 totalled over US$ 130 million, an increase of almost 40% compared to 2002, and close to US$ 200 million in 2005. This can be expected to lead to further additions to the uranium resource base. A significant number of new mining projects have also been announced that could substantially boost the world’s uranium production capacity.

In the longer term, continuing advances in nuclear technology will allow a substantially better utilisation of the uranium resources. Reactor designs are being developed and tested that are capable of extracting more than 30 times the energy from the uranium than today’s reactors.

IAEA DDG Yuri Sokolov had more to say here.

One should also ask Brian Stiglitz for his opinion…

Jeffrey adds: You can just download the read-only version and disable the security features. Not that I would do such a thing.

Comments

  1. hass (History)

    Course, if BushCo have their way, this uranium will be available to a limited range of countries that already have the enrichment technology, and everyone else will have to beg for it. And don’t give me that @x%x# about how they’d willingly share uranium with all equally…Since when did the haves share a limited resource freely with the have-nots of the world?

  2. Jeffrey Lewis

    What does this have to do with the Red Book being out?

  3. Paul (History)

    if you have to ask…

  4. hass (History)

    The “Red Book” estimates the total identified amount of conventional uranium stock…
    Speaking of confusiion, was the title of this posting supposed to be “Geek CHIC” rather than Geek CHECK per chance?

  5. Paul (History)

    no